Love Knows No Bounds
by eunc
Summary: Darkness has ensnared Hikari, and no one can rescue her except for two people. But one is lost in battle, and the other needs to come to terms with a wretched past. Takari
1. Bind 1: Shattered Hope

-

**Disclaimer**: "Digimon", its characters, plot, etc. is not owned by me and is only being borrowed in non-profitable fiction.  
**Author's Note:** Set after "Digimon Adventure 02". I'm sorry for the mistakes scattered here and there in the text. I've changed the character names to their Japanese originals; and I hope that I've managed to catch all of them. If you see anymore mistakes, please feel free to inform me in a review. Happy reading.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 1: Shattered Hope**

-

"But I love you, Hikari--"

"I'm sorry, Takeru, but I--I can't return your feelings," a young lady whispered quietly, almost regretfully. She pulled away chestnut strands from her scarlet eyes as a warm wind blew past. Standing in a wild flower field near Primary Village, Takeru and Hikari gazed at one another uneasily.

An awkward silence thickened the atmosphere; a breeze created large waves in the tall grass, with fiery-orange flower petals flying in the air. The day was pleasant and quiet, something extremely rare in the Digital World. Takeru and Hikari would have enjoyed a moment of peace in their lives, but now was not the time for peace and the deafening silence only made their situation worse.

"So I'm nothing?" Takeru quietly asked, his gentle voice slightly wavering. Pain was evident. "Am I nothing to you, Hikari?" The young man tried remaining under control; he tried to fight the sudden rage he was feeling towards Hikari and himself.

"No, I--It's just--I--I don't share the same feelings as you do, Takeru," Hikari replied, searching for the right words to say. Although, could she say anything worthwhile to ease her friend's pain? Another awkward silence passed between the two Chosen Children, and Hikari could not bear the tension between them.

"I'm sorry, Takeru. I like you and care for you, but I can't care for you the way you want." Young Takeru, who looked to the ground, did not reply. Silence was the only reply he could give to Hikari right now. The boy felt an aching pain surge through his body and soul. What was this feeling he was feeling? Was this rejection?

'But this can't be rejection,' Takeru thought. 'I've felt rejection before, and I didn't hurt like this, not this hard--Why does my soul pain so much?

"Takeru, please forgive me," Hikari apologized again. She felt so much remorse for her friend, but Takeru could not hear or sense her sympathy. He would not hear her sympathy or pity.

"I--I thought--" Takeru wanted to say something, but he thought better of it. His agonized heart did not need more pain. Takeru glanced upwards, hot tears and fierce anger his cerulean eyes. A storm raged in Takeru's crystal-aquarium pools, and Hikari gasped in fear of the tempest. Lightning and fire burned in his eyes, yet Takeru's face was a sorry and sad expression.

Takeru opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he closed it, turned around, and ran away. He had no words left to say to Hikari. Nothing left in his heart was for her. "Takeru wait!" Hikari yelled after him, "Wait! Takeru! Please wait!"

The blonde lad continued running, not caring what Hikari wanted to say to him. Nothing Hikari said would make him return. In the background, Hikari's anxious voice rang out in the Digital World like a loud bell. "Takeru! Wait! Takeru!"

"No."

"TAKERU!"

"NOOO!"

Jumping up in his bed, Takaishi Takeru awoke from his unresting sleep. His clammy pajamas stuck to his shaky, thin body as cold droplets of sweat dripped from his tired, strained face. The young man looked at his digital clock, which flashed 6:45 a.m. His dream--his nightmare had been haunting him for a long while now; and if Takeru remembered the horrid experience correctly, the scene had happened differently. He would do anything to forget that moment. 'Come on, Takeru! Get a grip! Three weeks--Get over it! It was three weeks ago, so forgive, forget, and live on with your life!'

Lying back down, Takeru tiredly stared at his ceiling. He no longer desired sleep as long as his memories continually haunted him. And with his present rate, Takeru believed he would never sleep again; but his pain seeped further than his dreams. 'Why does it hurt so much?' Takeru groaned inwardly. 'Why does my heart ache as if it had been torn out of my very body and mind?'

Closing his tired eyes and trying to capture some rest, Takeru tried easing his pain with his lonesome thoughts. 'Why do I feel so incomplete?'

'Why am I so alone?'

-

That morning walking to school, Takeru felt as lonely and desolate as he had in his dream. When he eventually reached the high school gates, young Takaishi saw Yagami Hikari and Motomiya Daisuke walking together to school. The three caught each other's eyes and looked at one another awkwardly. The air felt heavy and thick enough to cut with a large blade. Takeru smiled at his friends, slicing away a piece of discomfort.

'I can't show them my weakness.'

"How have you two been doing?" Takeru cheerfully greeted, casually walking up to Hikari and Daisuke.

"I'm doing fine," Hikari replied cheerily, forcing a smile. "Thank you for asking, Takeru. I hope you're doing well too." Daisuke, wanting to relieve the situation, also forced himself to smile and gave a small greeting. The painful confrontation between Hikari and Takeru was no secret, and all the Chosen Children felt the discomfort between the Children of Hope and Light. Everyone was sensitive to Takeru and Hikari's present delicate relationship, and Daisuke, although callous at times, was no exception.

"I'm doing all right, thanks," Takeru said, grinning his famous smile at the two of them. "Well, we better hurry or we'll be late for class. I don't know about you, but I don't want extra afternoon cleaning duty." Hikari and Daisuke nodded in agreement, and the three of them ran into the school before the tardy bell rang.

-

After school, Takeru walked home, the young man once more alone. Takeru's heart heavy with sadness and shadows, Darkness steadily conquered his thoughts. 'I will always be alone--I'll always be alone in the Darkness. What's the point? Why should I keep fighting? Darkness always comes back--like an insect, a cockroach that'll never die. I should just give up. Light has rejected me, so why not join its opposite?'

As Takeru formed these dark thoughts, he disappeared into the air, into a Dark ripple in space.

-

The time was 8:00 p.m., and Yagami Taichi reclined on the couch, his brunettehead propped on an elbow and a remote controller conveniently in hid hand. The young adult flipped through the television, searching for a source of entertainment. 'I really do have to find a new job soon,' Taichi pouted. 'Living like this won't do.'

Suddenly, the phone rang. The Yagami jumped up, surprised by the sudden noise. After regaining his wits, Taichi hurriedly answered the devilish ringing device. "Hello? Yagami residence."

"Taichi, it's me."

-


	2. Bind 2: Darkness

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**Love Knows No Bounds**  
**Bind 2: Darkness**

-

"Hello? Taichi? Taichi, it's me, Mrs. Takaishi, Takeru's mother."

"Huh? Takaishi--Taka--Oh, Mrs. Takaishi! Good evening. How have you been doing?" Taichi asked very politely. His mind hastily began wondering why the blonde boy's mother had called the Yagami residence. No monsters were attacking Japan, so the safe house option was eliminated; Yamato visited the Yagami's often, but Mrs. Takaishi had no reason to worry about him. He knew how to take care of himself.

Was Takeru sleeping over at their house again? Now that Taichi thought about it, Takeru's mother back then would call so the older Yagami could pick a few things up that Takeru could not bring with him from school; however Hikari and Takeru had not planned for a sleep over. In fact, Takeru had not visited their home at all for a while.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Taichi, have you seen Takeru anytime today?" Mrs. Takaishi inquired with a quivering voice. He didn't come home after school today, and I'm very worried about him. "He hasn't called home or anything, and it's starting to get dark outside."

'That's no good,' Taichi thought, biting his lip. 'This definitely means trouble. They wouldn't have--No, they wouldn't have taken Takeru--would they?' The young man speedily formulated a plan, a story to tell Mrs. Takaishi to ease her worries and buy Taichi and the others some time.

"Oh, I'm sorry I we didn't call you sooner, Mrs. Takaishi. Takeru, well, he's here at our house right now. And from the looks of things, he plans on spending the night. He said that he needed help with something, so Hikari and I invited him over. I guess the three of us got so caught up and excited, we forgot to mention it to you. I would put him on the phone right now, but he's--"

"Taichi."

"Yes, Mrs. Takaishi?"

"You're lying. I have two sons, Yagami Taichi. I know when a boy is lying or not." Taichi inwardly gulped; his story had just been completely washed down the drain by Mother's Intuition. "But that doesn't matter right now. Just tell me that you have a clue to where my little Takeru is," Mrs. Takaishi worriedly begged.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Takaishi. I have an idea where I can find him. I'll find Takeru and I'll inform you right away, I promise," Taichi solemnly replied, "Oh, by the way, Mrs. Takaishi, you didn't call Hikari on her cell phone, by any chance?"

"No, I was going to after I talked with you. Should I?"

"No, no, no! Heh, I mean--Don't worry, Mrs. Takaishi. I'll find Takeru; I don't want everyone else worried over nothing. You know how Hikari would react to something like this. Yamato and I will take care of this," Taichi assured.

Takeru's mother sighed in relief, knowing her youngest son was in good and trustworthy hands. "Thank very much, Taichi."

"Anytime, Mrs. Takaishi. Good night." Tai quickly hung up the phone and then retrieved his jacket from the closet. He bolted out of the Yagami apartment and into the chilly city of Tokyo. Racing through the city, the former leader of the Chosen Children huffed as unforgiving thoughts bombarded him.

'It's starting again--everything is repeating itself. This time, Takeru is involved, and Hikari is tied into it. Agh, what have I done? Why didn't I stop this? I should have ended this a long time ago--A long time ago.'

-

"Taichi, what are you doing here?" Yamato demanded in frustration, pushing his friend's face away from his own. Ishida Yamato rested on a park bench, his arm draped around his girlfriend. Taichi gave a nervous chuckle and mumbled an apology. He had not meant to trip and sprawl all over his two friends.

"Why are you here, Taichi?" Takenuchi Sora questioned with just as much frustration. Within a month, Taichi had "accidentally" interrupted five dates; Yamato and Sora were equally peeved with their good friend.

Knowing what the couple was presently thinking, Taichi groaned at his misfortune. He had disrupted another date between Sora and Yamato, which he had not done purposely. Well, he partially purposely interrupted, but the cause was not jealously--Taichi needed some graceful method to capture Yamato's attention. "I'm sorry!" Taichi apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to ruin your kissing scene!" Oddly, Taichi meant what he said.

Yamato and Sora blushed, somewhat embarrassed someone had nearly seen them kiss; although, they did not know why they were shy because they had been dating for some time now. "Taichi, how did you find us?" Sora inquired curiously, casting aside her embarrassment.

"Oh, that was easy. Yamato always brings the girl he's dating here on the twenty-first of February," Taichi replied matter-of-factly, not thinking about the consequences of his words.

Sora shot a disdaining look at Yamato, who squirmed slightly beneath the glare. The redhead girl felt hurt but furious. "Is that so, Taichi? Yamato forgot to mention that to me."

"Well, I can't help it if this is one of the prettiest places in the park," Yamato laughed nervously. "I would be selfish if I didn't share with everyone, right, Sora?" The blonde young man glared at his brunette friend, Yamato disgruntled that his girlfriend was disgruntled with him. 'Taichi, that big-mouth,' Yamato growled angrily, 'now Sora is mad at me, and she'll probably be mad about this for a week at least.'

Watching Sora and Yamato interact like an old-married couple warmed Taichi's heart, but now was not the time to linger or imagine. "Again, I'm sorry about interrupting you two, but I need your help. Takeru is missing," Taichi quickly explained.

"'Missing'? What do you mean 'missing'?" Yamato demanded loudly, jumping out of his seat. "How can Takeru be missing?" The three young adults were fortunate they were in the park; otherwise, they would have attracted a fairly large crowd.

"I mean I can't find Takeru in the Human or Digital World," Taichi quickly, but calmly replied. Yamato and Sora glaced at each other, the two worried and bewildered.

"If he's not in the Digital World or Human World, then where can he be?" Sora asked. "Where would Takeru go?"

"Well, Takeru is definitely not in the Human World, or he would have called someone by now. He enough common sense to do that. Maybe Takeru is with someone we know and assumed that we know. He could be with Hikari or Daisuke," Yamato suggested hopefully. Ishida knew Takeru was responsible and would inform him or their mother whenever he was out; Yamato knew Takeru was not forgetful or assuming. And to confirm Yamato's fears, Taichi shook his head.

"Takeru is not with anyone else. After I checked the Digital World, I had Hikari and the others call every person he knows, and no one has seen him since after school," Taichi responded gravely. "And your mother said he never came back home from school."

Yamato scowled. "Then where could he be?"

"That's what we need to find out," Taichi muttered, heading off in a direction. "Yamato, call Koushiro and tell him I'm searching the Digital World again. Maybe I missed Takeru my first time around. After you do that, call Hikari and tell her to meet me at Primary Village"

When Taichi was out of sight, Sora gripped Yamato's arm and whispered, "Do you think Takeru is all right?"

"I don't know." Yamato bowed his head. "I really don't know."

-

The next day, Mrs. Takaishi filed a missing report, and a few weeks later, investigators concluded that Takeru had run away. However, no one could determine a motive or a location. Takaishi Takeru had just disappeared, vanished into the surrounding Darkness.

-


	3. Bind 3: Digimon Kaiser

-

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 3: Digimon Kaiser **

-

Three Months Later

"Jeez. I never thought that Takaishi would do something like this," Daisuke sighed in disbelief. He scratched his raspberry hair while sitting on the couch mindlessly, feeling somewhat at loss. "I always thought he was a fighter, not a coward."

'I thought he was stronger.'

Ken, Miyako, Iori and Daisuke were at Ken's house, discussing the latest disturbance within the Digital World. Hikari was with Taichi and the older Chosen Children, searching for information in the mountains at the old campsite. Although the younger Children thought that Hikari should have stayed with them, Taichi suggested that Hikari would be better off with the older group. As Taichi explained, his little sister had succumbed to depression since Takeru's disappearance; and Taichi desired keeping a close eye on Hikari.

"Can't you at least be nice to Takeru when he's gone? How can you call him a coward when he's not even here to defend himself, Daisuke?" Miyako yelled. Her violet eyes were crazed with anger and frustration, and the girl was ready to pounce on her goggled friend.

"Miyako, please calm down," Ken ordered, putting a firm hand on her shoulder. "Yelling at Daisuke won't bring Takeru back or help ourselves. Besides, we aren't here to discuss about Takeru's disappearance. Right now, we need to find out why we can no longer travel through the Digital World, what this new energy signature in the Digital World is, and if all of these events are from a new threat." Hearing Ken's words, Miyako simmered down somewhat. She glared at Daisuke angrily but remained silent. Then, the telephone rang.

"I'll get that," Ken said, rising from his seat on the couch. He wanted to get away from the tension caused by Daisuke and Miyako, but their strong feelings captured everything within the apartment. The two Chosen Children had just gotten into a death glare contest, and Iori was helplessly trying to divert their anger.

Taking a deep breath, Ken picked up the receiver and greeted, "Hello? Ichijouji residence."

"Ken, it's me, Koushiro."

"Oh, hello, Koushiro. How is everyone doing in the mountains? Hopefully, you're doing better there than we are here." Ken whispered the last part quietly, not wanting Miyako and Daisuke to hear. "Did you find out anything?"

In a rushed voice, Koushiro said, "Ken, I need you and the others to get to the campsite as soon as you possibly can. If you hurry, you can catch the next bus up here."

"Wait, what? Whatever for, Koushiro?" Ken asked suspiciously. Ichijouji was puzzled by Koushiro's uncharacteristic rashness and knew something was afoot. But what could it be? 'What did the others find at the campsite?'

"I'll explain everything when you get here! Just hurry up!" Koushiro yelled impatiently, hanging up the phone. Ken sighed worriedly as he replaced the receiver. Something must have happened for Koushiro, a calm, polite, and intellectual man, to lose his patience so easily. If the younger Chosen Children hurried, they would find out what that something was. With that in mind, Ichijouji quickly returned to his friends; however, when Ken reached to living room again, Miyako and Daisuke were still caught in the death glare contest.

Decisively ignoring Miyako and Daisuke's heated gazes, the former evil genius walked in between his friends to the other side of the room. "You guys, get your jackets. We're going to the campsite," Ken informed, heading towards the closet to retrieve his own coat.

"Why?" Miyako asked, diverting her eyes towards Ken. "Who called, Ken?"

"Koushiro called and wants us at the old campsite. I don't know why, but Kourshiro said that it was urgent; and with the tone he used, I think the situation is worse than we thought," Ken answered gravely. His voice sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Then let's hurry," Iori suggested helpfully, grabbing his own coat from the closet. Maybe if they acted with a cause, the tension in the group would die; so Iori hoped. "If the others have found something, we should be together to handle the situation. We're stronger together than we are apart."

Hearing Iori, Miyako and Daisuke looked at each other apologetically. Now was no time for friends to fight, and the young lady and lad realized that. Smiling at the younger boy, Ken tossed Miyako and Daisuke their jackets and rushed out the door. The four Children then hurried to the bus station, determined to return to the Digital World and possibly face a new enemy.

-

"Okay, Koushiro, we're all here. Now explain to us what's going on in the Digital World. What did you find?" Taichi questioned as he watched his friend type on his computer. All the Chosen Children had assembled at the campsite in good time and were ready for explanations.

"I've just discovered something about the Digital World that you won't believe!" Koushiro exclaimed, sitting on tree stump and typing quickly.

Shrugging and pulling his coat closer, Yamato commented, "I don't know about that, Koushiro. We've seen some pretty bizarre things, and whatever that happens in the Digital World is unbelievable anyway. It's getting harder for anything to surprise us." Ignoring Yamato, Koushiro turned around his computer and displayed his lab top to everyone.

"Is that the Digital World?" Taichi asked with shock. His chocolate eyes were wide, fear etched into them; Taichi, Child of Courage, was afraid of what he saw. Answering Taichi's question, Koushiro nodded gravely. Considering Yamato's earlier words, what was before the Children was truly startling.

"Why is it--black?" Hikari inquired quietly, touching the screen fearfully. The computer displayed a map of the Digital World, and all areas were black except for one or two barely visible white areas.

"Does everyone remember when Ken was the Digimon Kaiser?" Koushiro asked as he started typing on his computer again. Everyone looked to the ground, uneasy about the returning memories. "I guess we all do. Well, then I think you guys also remember the Control Towers, right?"

"Just get to the point!" Daisuke yelled in a frustrated tone. Taichi quickly put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder to calm him, and providentially, his actions worked. Koushiro looked a little shaken with Daisuke's outburst but continued nevertheless. "Well, it seems that a new child has taken over the Digital World, also claiming to be the Digimon Kaiser."

Ken turned pale. To him, this was a bad dream coming back to him all over again. "And not only does this Digimon Kaiser have control over the Digital World, he also has complete control over the Dark Rings," Koushiro explained farther, recording all of his findings.

"What? What do you mean he has complete control?" Ken shouted suddenly. The other Chosen Children turned towards him, surprised by Ken's abrupt outburst. His quiet demeanor and passive nature never suggested such a reaction as this.

"When I was the Digimon Kaiser, I had extreme difficulties controlling the Digimon with the Dark Rings. They were so difficult to control that they began controlling me," Ken explained nervously, his body shaking. He felt himself close to tears. "The reason being is because the Dark Rings are completely evil. If this new Digimon Kaiser is a Chosen Child, which he must be, then it's impossible for him to completely control the Dark Rings." Some people looked dazed from Ken's explanation.

"Can you repeat that again, this time in Japanese?" Daisuke asked, very confused like some of his companions.

"He's saying that a Chosen Child can never be evil enough to have control over the Dark Rings," Hikari translated, wrapping a comforting arm around Ken. "For someone to have complete control over the Dark Rings he must be pure evil; and a Chosen Child can never be that." Hikari, trying to ease the Child of Kindness' heart, alone understood the Darkness Ken feared and sympathized and admired him for his strength.

'He's done so much to help us, to help the entire World.'

"I get it," Taichi nodded, crossing his arms. A chilly wind blew through the campsite, and the young leader disliked the coldness in the air. "Then how does this kid have control over the Dark Rings? Is this Chosen Child under an evil Digimon's control?" Everyone was silent.

Taichi was very worried as his questions were left unanswered. Not even Koushiro or Ken could answer their leader; they had no assurances about the Darkness or the warped Chosen Child conquering the Digital World. The future seemed bleak. 'Has the Dark Ocean--If it starts all over again, I'll never forgive myself,' Taichi growled, punching his fist into his hand. 'If they did something to Takeru, I will never forgive myself.'

-


	4. Bind 4: Meeting the Kaiser I

-

**Author's Note**: The names of the Chosen Children are the original Japanese names; however, the Digimons' names and their evolution forms may not be the original Japanese names (also, I do not know the Dark Evolution for Patamon). If anyone is available to such knowledge, please inform/confirm me in a review or e-mail. Thank you.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 4: Meeting the Kaiser I**

-

Three weeks passed since the Chosen Children started battling the new Digimon Kaiser. (They had, through difficult means, discovered a way to return to the Digital World.) Although the present Digimon Kaiser had less time than the former Kaiser to form his malevolent empire, he was equal, if not superior, to Ken in brutality and power. Even his battle tactics, masterfully constructed, were malicious in nature by forcing the Chosen Children to make unwilling and difficult sacrifices. The new Digimon Kaiser, monsters and humans alike noted, was an evil force all on his own.

Like before when the Dark Towers held the reigns to the Digital World, the older Chosen Children could not get their Digimon to evolve. So they provided wisdom and advice to the younger Chosen Children as they had done before. Constantly the Chosen Children and Digimon Kaiser fought for control of areas, the delicate scale always favoring one side over another; but throughout all of their numerous encounters and battles, the Chosen Children never met the new Ruler of Darkness in person.

-

"Patamon, are you sure that this is the way to the Kaiser's base?" Hikari asked the little yellow-winged Digimon, the two seeking shade behind a sand dune. "You sure you aren't making any mistakes?" After Takeru had disappeared, Hikari had naturally taken the depressed and traumatized Patamon underneath her wing, figuratively speaking. Out of all the Chosen Children, Patamon related most easily with Hikari and Tailmon, which slightly surprised Yamato (who was Takeru's older brother).

Patamon, from his official perch on top of Hikari's head, nodded earnestly. "Yes. I'm sure."

Working together, Koushiro and Patamon had discovered information about the Kaiser's base, which the Chosen Children planned on destroying. Basically they were using the same plan they had used to defeat Ken in his Kaiser days. Although the former Kaiser had gotten a little nervous at first, he had offered all and any information on how an evil genius-bent-on-ruling-the-world would think. The information provided had assisted the Chosen Children many times against the Digimon Kaiser, so it proved very trustworthy information.

"Well, at least we're getting somewhere. It's a good thing too, that it's summer vacation," Taichi sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow, "or else we would be facing the scolding faces of our parents." A few laughed at the weak joke, although most were trying to find a way to stay cool beneath the hot, desert sun. The Chosen Children were walking in the wasteland, and their water supplies were depleting quickly. Luckily, the sun was setting, and the sands would soon be cool.

"Hey, Sora, are you all right?" Yamato asked in concern while handing her a water canteen. He helped her take a seat in the sand and sat next to her as she drank some water.

"I'm fine, Yamato. I'm just a little tired and hot, that's all," Sora smiled sheepishly at her boyfriend. Her cheeks were as red as her hair from the heat, but Sora maintained her good humor. She held up the canteen to Yamato curiously. "Do you mind if I--"

Understanding her meaning, Yamato urged helpfully, "No, go ahead."

Takenuchi grinned gratefully. "Thanks Yamato." She then turned towards Piyomon, offering the canteen to her fatigued Digimon partner. "Here, Piyomon, have some water and rest some. You really need it."

"Thank you, Sora, Yamato," Piyomon chirped thankfully as she drank her fill. The bird Digimon then passed the container to Gabumon to take a drink. "Ah, I really needed that."

"Everyone needs a break," Taichi muttered to himself, scoping the group's surroundings. He knew his friends were tired, and going into battle in a weakened state would do no one any good. Seeing no immediate danger around them and feeling semi-secure, Taichi turned to the Chosen Children and their Digimon and announced, "All right, everyone, we're going to rest behind this dune's shade here and wait until the desert is a little cooler. When we're all rested, then we'll continue our plan."

The entire party cheered and immediately plopped themselves onto the partially cooled sand. Most of the Digimon and Children took this time to quench their thirst and fill their bellies with some food (compliments from Miyako and Mimi); Jyou nursed and bandaged some cuts and blisters others suffered from; Taichi, Koushiro, and Ken (with their Digimons' assistance) reviewed and revised their plan of attack.

Everyone was beginning to relax, until the youngest Chosen Child spotted something. "Hey, look at that, in the sky!" Iori exclaimed, pointing to the setting sun. The other Chosen Children looked to where he was directing and saw a massive shadow floating in the sky: the Digimon Kaiser's floating fortress.

"That must be the Kaiser's base," Taichi muttered, shading his squinting eyes with his hand. "It's a lot larger than I expected. Heh, I hate to admit it, but this Kaiser beat you in the evil fortress thing. Don't you agree, Ken?" Yagami commented teasingly. Yamato, Hikari, and a few others (only two others) chuckled at Taichi's second weak joke; their spirits were slightly improving. Ken nodded in agreement, one of the chuckling few.

Miyako sighed with exasperation. "Would you quit teasing Ken and try to concentrate on our plan?" the girl snapped. "Jeez, he already has his own memories to face. He doesn't need us constantly reminding him what he used to be." Unfortunately, Miyako was part of the other party, the few who were still agitated by the heat, and was not herself.

"Who died and made you leader?" Daisuke snapped back, the young man also moody from the desert sun. "They were just trying to make the others feel better." Miyako gave a death glare to Daisuke, and she was not surprised he filled the role of insensitivity.

"Well, you little--"

"It's okay, Miyako. I don't mind them teasing," Ken quickly assured, placing a cheering hand on Miyako's shoulder. "Besides, Taichi meant no harm and it's all in the past. You should sit down now or else you'll over exert yourself and overheat" While Miyako blushed from Ken's kindness, the other Chosen Children giggled quietly at the sight of the two.

Nursing an oncoming headache, Taichi sighed inwardly. 'Oh, boy, this is going to be one rough day.'

-

Once the sun had set and the air was cool, the Chosen Children began their assault. Using Piyomon, Hawkmon, and Tentomon's flying abilities, the group discovered an entrance where they would sneak into the base. Holsmon, Raidramon, Digmon, and Nerfertimon then took turns transporting the Chosen Children to their secret opening. Afterwards, Koushiro and Ken developed a rough sketch of the base and presented it to the group. Their plans were underway.

After crawling through the air ventilation system of the Digimon Kaiser's fortress for ten minutes, the Chosen Children emerged from the maze and dusted themselves off, coughing and sneezing while doing so. When he himself was out of the vents, Taichi counted heads and made sure everyone was present and accounted for. After the hasty roll call, Taichi asked quietly, "Koushiro, where do you think we are right now?"

Koushiro quickly checked his lab-top and the rough sketch. After a few minutes of typing and comparing, the computer wizard answered confidently, "According to the information we have, we're currently in the storage bay. The engine room shouldn't be far from here, and we can reach the bridge easily if we follow this route."

"All right, then we'll split up into two groups. One group will be in charge of disabling the engine while the other will capture the Digimon Kaiser," Taichi planned, sketching on the rough blue prints. "From the second group, we'll form small teams. We'll then search the base, and whoever finds the Kaiser first, flare your digivice; and after we beat him, I'll treat the group who had found the Kaiser to the finest restaurant in Japan!" Everyone cheered.

"Why bother looking for me when I'm right here!" an evil voice yelled, the sound echoing through the enormous room. All the Chosen Children turned around and caught sight the new Digimon Kaiser. They were not impressed. He was dressed as the same way Ken had dressed when he was the Digimon Kaiser, down to the very last fiber of fabric. He even had the lovely blue goggles to match, but this Digimon Kaiser was a blonde and had far more unruly hair.

"So, Chosen Children, we finally meet. I had expected you to find me sooner, but I forgot your lot had a smaller mental capacity than most," the Digimon Kaiser sighed loftily, an arrogant smirk across his face.

Hearing the insult, the young Children jumped to attack, however, the others stopped them in an instant. The older Children trembled, forcing away their anger. They, like their younger counterparts, felt greatly insulted, but unlike the younger Children, knew better to react on their furious impulses. From experience they wisely acknowledged the Digimon Kaiser's tactic.

"You better watch your dumb mouth!" Daisuke yelled, fighting Taichi and Yamato's hold on him. "I'm going to make you pay for your words and what you've done to the Digital World! Just you wait, Kaiser!"

"Yeah, just you wait!" V-mon shook his fist at the Kaiser. He, like all the other Digimon, was furious a weakling, demented child had insulted his human partner.

The Digimon Kaiser shook his head, partially amused by Daisuke and V-mon's belligerent reaction. "Tsk, tsk. You two should never make brash threats. It's never a good idea, especially if you can't carry them out," the Digimon Kaiser reprimanded. With a dark chuckle, the cruel dictator added, "And trust me, you won't, Motomiya Daisuke."

"How do you know my name? I didn't know I was that famous!" Daisuke commented with surprise. Everyone collapsed from embarrassment and shame, even the Digimon Kaiser.

The Digimon Kaiser, after he had recomposed himself, rolled his eyes at Daisuke comment. "I feel sorry for you Chosen Children, having always to deal with such a fool." Returning his attention to Daisuke (although he thought a waste of his time), the Kaiser cackled smugly, "You aren't famous, Daisuke, just stupid. And I know more than just your name, Motomiya Daisuke. I know your deepest fears, the darkest depths of your heart. I know why you doubt yourself, why you cry at night when you think no one is watching."

"Sh-shut up!" Daisuke shouted. "You don't know anything about me!" He was trembling in Taichi and Yamato's hands, and the two older boys did not know what to do. Ken was about to say something, but the Digimon Kaiser spoke before he did. "And you're no better than this brainless dolt, Ichijouji. It took you a little too long to figure out where my base was, even though it was in clear view," the Digimon Kaiser glared. "You're just as weak and spineless as Daisuke."

Ken stood silently, allowing the Digimon Kaiser's words seep into his heart. Wormmon, realizing what was happening to Ken, stepped forward and protested, "Ken is not weak! He's a lot stronger than you'll ever be!"

"That's right--Ken is a lot stronger than you'll ever be!" Miyako yelled, joining Wormmon. "He, at least, fought the Darkness and won. Unlike you, Ken doesn't let the Darkness boss him around!" The girl's outburst made the Kaiser laugh, and in the middle of it, Miyako wished she had kept quiet: not because she believed her comment silly but because the Digimon Kaiser's voice was unbearably cold and cruel.

"Thank you very much for your dumb comment of the day. The words were so refreshing coming from loving, sincere Miyako," the evil lad laughed, mockingly applauding the Chosen Child. "You'll soon find out, silly girl, that Darkness doesn't control me; you'll see that nothing masters me! BlackTailmon, come forth!" Right then, a sable-colored Tailmon with a Dark Ring on her tail stealthily appeared from above and landed gracefully before the Digimon Kaiser.

The ebony feline monster bowed before the Kaiser respectfully. "You called, Lord?"

"Chosen Children, I'd like you to meet BlackTailmon," the Kaiser introduced sinisterly. "I hope you get along well because she'll be the one to destroy you all." Right then, Tailmon and Hikari stepped forward and ahead of the others.

"Hikari, what are you doing?" Taichi demanded while trying to pull his sister back. Augumon stopped his partner from reaching her, earning a questioning look from Taichi. However, when the young man looked into his Digimon's blue eyes, he knew the situation was out of his hands.

'Whatever you do, Hikari,' Taichi begged in his thoughts, 'don't get yourself hurt. I don't care if the World comes to end, just don't get hurt, Hikari.'

"It's us against you, Kaiser!" Hikari yelled. "I won't let you have your way with the Digital World anymore. This is where your evil ends."

"How sure are you that this is my evil, Yagami Hikari?" the Digimon Kaiser chuckled, stroking his chin menacingly. "Perhaps this evil as you call it is the product of yourself; perhaps you are the reason why the Digital World suffers so?"

Hikari reddened at the accusation. "You blame me for the Digital World's condition? How can you accuse me of being the reason the Digital World is like this when you're the one enslaving Digimon and place those cruel Dark Rings on them!" Taking a firm step forward, the young lady exclaimed, "I'll never let the Darkness take what belongs to the Light, not without a fight!" Watching as the events unfolded before them, the other Chosen Children had no idea what Hikari and the Digimon Kaiser were talking about or what they were about to do.

'I won't let the Darkness consume all the Light!'

"Yagami Hikari, Chosen Child of Light," the Digimon Kaiser whistled, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "The one who holds the Light within herself, Yagami Hikari: heh, I see now why you're defensive about this. And now I see that my job will be so much easier once you're out of the way. How should we deal with our honored guest, BlackTailmon?"

"Whichever way you desire, Lord," BlackTailmon answered craftily, flexing her claws and glancing at her white counterpart deviously, "although, it would be nice to do things the old fashioned way. A duel, perhaps?"

Pleased with his minion's answer, the Digimon Kaiser asked Hikari, "So, what should our stakes be, other than the Fate of all Reality?" Everyone, other than Hikari, Taichi and their Digimon, looked even more confused than before.

"You're awful," Hikari cried, glaring at the Digimon Kaiser with disgust. "Is there any greater stake than that? What else is more valuable than that? What kind of monster are you!"

"Well, we should make our duel a little more personal, and saving/destroying all reality is just so general," the Kaiser cooed coldly. "Come on, Yagami, what's the point of a duel without a personal prize? I promise, it will be fun. Here, I'll help you--If you win, I'll tell you who I am and let you Chosen Children leave my fortress without a scratch, giving you another chance. If I win, you have to give up Tailmon's tail ring and leave me to do as I please. Fair?"

Gasping, Hikari looked down at Tailmon worriedly. The feline Digimon gave her human partner a catty grin. "What's there to worry about, Hikari? It doesn't matter what we bet for because we're going to win." Flexing her claws, Tailmon growled, "Just let him try taking my tail ring." Hikari nodded at Tailmon's encouragement and gave her opponent a steely glare.

The Digimon Kaiser smiled at Hikari's consent. "They always knew that you were the smartest one out of all these fools," he chuckled while sweeping his cape about him. "Light always has to please everyone, even the Darkness." The Kaiser's quote got Ken's attention as well Taichi's. A suspicion was building up in the brunette haired lad.

'Could it be? Could the Digimon Kaiser really be--?'

"Tailmon! Evolve!" Hikari yelled, flaring her digivice.

The Digimon took her cue. "Tailmon, Evolve! Angewomon!" An embracing light radiated from the angelic Digimon as she descended beside her human partner. The once darkened storage bay was now lit brightly, the cold atmosphere driven away by Angewoman and Hikari's presence.

The Digimon Kaiser, slightly shrinking away from the Light, smirked. He brought out a Dark digivice from the folds of his cape, chuckling evilly as the trinket began glowing Darkness. "Now, it's my turn."

"Why is it suddenly so cold?" Mimi shivered. The other Children, like her, felt waves of icy air attacking them and pulling away their very lives. The warmth and joy Hikari and Angewomon had produced earlier had now melted away.

"BlackTailmon! Dark Evolve!" the Kaiser commanded.

"BlackGatomon, Dark Evolve! LadyDevimon!"

Another tidal wave of cold atmosphere pulled the Chosen Children into its eerie depths. Their hearts saddened and grew hopeless, an image of their possible failure flashing through their minds. Through their drowning in Darkness, most of the Children were able to gasp in fear, "LadyDevimon!"

"How do you like her? Lovely, isn't she?" the Kaiser asked, laughing at the shocked faces of the Chosen Children. He knew depressing notions presently passed through the Chosen Children, and the Digimon Kaiser relished at their fear and pain. Their sorrow was comfort to his pain.

"How did you do that?" Ken demanded through gritted teeth, ousting from his mind his bitter memories of his deceased brother. Ichijouji, unlike Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori, fought well against the Kaiser and LadyDevimon's evil auras because of his former ties to Darkness; and he would put his resistance to some use. "How are you manipulating the Darkness like this, Digimon Kaiser?"

'Who are you!'

"Well, wouldn't you like to know!" the Digimon Kaiser cackled sinisterly, motioning LadyDevimon to begin her attack. The battle between Light and Darkness, the Digimon Kaiser thought, would prove to be much amusement to him.

-


	5. Bind 5: Meeting the Kaiser II

-

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 5: Meeting the Kaiser II**

-

"I don't understand this! How in the world can he have such control over the Darkness? It's impossible!" Koushiro yelled out in frustration, hiding behind boxes to be protected from flying debris. "It just can't be possible." The young man ducked again, not wanting to get hit by some unknown object from Angewomon's attack. Trying to figure out the Digimon Kaiser and his true purpose for about an hour now, Koushiro was still nowhere near a possible thesis.

Hearing Koushiro's rant, Ken pondered over his own possibilities and knowledge. 'The Kaiser's strategy is nothing like mine,' Ken grumbled. 'He obviously doesn't want to take over the World, because if he did, he could have done that a long time ago. The Kaiser is toying with us, with the Digital World. He's distracting us; he's hiding his true power under this guise. But why?' Fear bubbled and brewed in Ken's soul. 'Why is he waiting? Why is he holding back against us? Could he possibly have something worse in store for us?'

As two apocalyptic Digimon battled each other for the sake of their partners and the Digital World's fate, the Chosen Children huddled behind the cargo containers for shelter. LadyDevimon and Angewomon were still at it, fighting more ferociously by the minute. At every passing second, the Children hoped Hikari would be victorious.

Taichi, out of everyone, prayed most of all his sister would win. 'Hikari, please,' Taichi begged, 'please win this battle: win and reclaim what was once yours. Take back what the Darkness has claimed, Hikari, and banish the Darkness back to its own World, like you did back then.'

"Ken!" Yamato yelled from his container corner, his arms protectively around Sora. Gabumon and Piyomon, like the other Digimon, were minimizing large flying missiles heading towards the humans into safer particles of dust. "I thought you said a Chosen Child couldn't completely control Darkness!"

"He can't!" Ken shouted back, pulling Wormmon away from a flying spear of splintered wood.

"Then why is LadyDevimon listening so attentively to the Kaiser's orders?" Jyou demanded, plastered against his box. He stood over smaller Iori, who was trembling from the occurring battle. Mimi and Miyako hid near them, Palmon and Hawkmon loyally protecting the ladies.

Biting his lip apprehensively, Ken shook his head. "I don't know! It should be impossible; he shouldn't be able to control the Darkness at all."

Listening the Chosen Children's conversation, the Digimon Kaiser laughed with entertainment. Smoke and dust littered the air, so the Children could only hear the Kaiser's menacing voice. "Allow me to clue you all in, Chosen Children. Unlike Ichijouji and your powers, my powers are more in-tune with the powers of Darkness. Hikari is the only one who understands what I'm saying because she, being the Child of Light, is tied to Darkness."

'She's the only one who ever understood me.'

As another wave attacks started, the dust cleared away and revealed the Digimon Kaiser's form. Pointing a finger at Ken, the Kaiser continued coldly, "Those years ago, you were never meant to take over the Digital World. You were never meant to enter the World of Darkness; you and your powers weren't suited for the job. The Darkness never wanted you at all. The only reason the Darkness chose you was because you were a weak, pathetic child who had no will of his own." The Digimon Kaiser cackled cruelly while Ken looked stricken as the information sunk in.

'Hikari is tied to Darkness--But how could he have known? How can someone like him know that, unless--No, no, it couldn't be.' Taichi mentally slapped himself for his troubling thoughts. Even with the present situation, his calculations were impossible. He would not even think of the slight possibility. 'I'm wrong. I know I am. The Kaiser wouldn't be--' Taichi ducked as a small boulder of debris headed straight for him.

Angewomon took careful aim as she readied for her attack. "Celestial Arrow!"

Miyako to one look at Ken's ashen face and growled angrily at the Kaiser. She would not allow someone to do speak degradingly to her friend, to Ken. "Shut up! You don't know anything. You're wrong about Ken, you're absolutely wrong about him. He strong, one of the strongest people I know!" Miyako yelled angrily, tears brimming her eyes. Seeing her tears, the Digimon Kaiser laughed even more. How he relished the Children's agony.

Avoiding Angewomon's arrow with ease, LadyDevimon prepared for her own assault. "Darkness Wave!"

Turning to Yamato, Taichi ordered, "Take Sora, Koushiro, and Iori with you and find the base's power generator and destroy it. The others and I will stay here and help Hikari the best we can. We'll keep the Digimon Kaiser distracted while you guys make a break for it." The two young adults stared at each other for a moment, a silent understanding passing through them. Yamato nodded, collected his team, and began the dangerous trek through the battle smoke and dust.

Angewomon barely dodged the evil wave (which nearly hit the Children) before firing another arrow. "Take this, you witch! Celestial Arrow!" Seeing her attack once more avoided, the angelic Digimon had no choice but to move in for hand-to-hand combat.

SLAP!

"Where do you think you're going?" the Digimon Kaiser smirked. He stood between the Yamato's team and the doorway and felt no obligation to move.

"Sora, take the others and go," Yamato murmured quietly, motioning Gabumon to get ready. "Gabumon and I will take care of the Kaiser and buy you guys some time." Sora nodded and started leading the others on an alternate route, but an attack from nowhere impeded their way.

"I'm not letting any of you escape," the Kaiser glared, his hand smoking from the energy he had released. "None of you are leaving until this duel is done."

LadyDevimon, now furious with a reddened cheek, quickly recovered and gathered Dark energy within her palms. "You'll pay for that! Darkness Wave!" With heavenly grace, Angewomon once more avoided her nemesis' attack and delivered a right straight to the hellish woman's face.

BAM!

Furious from the second blow, LadyDevimon grabbed a handful of lustrous golden locks and pulled out as much as she could. "Aahh! My hair!" Angewomon screamed as she struggled out of LadyDevimon's grasp.

The two apocalyptic Digimon continued with their devastating battle, matching each other in strength, determination, and detestation. They matched attack for attack, wound for wound, slap for slap. "Come on, Angewomon!" Mimi cheered from her hiding spot, "You can beat that old witch!"

"Show her what you're made of!" Palmon cheered with her.

"Hey, if Tailmon can evolve to Angewomon, that means we can too!" V-mon exclaimed thoughtfully, watching the battle with anxiety. Seeing a missile heading for him, the Digimon took the initiative and destroyed the large object into smaller, harmless pieces.

"Hey, that's right!" Daisuke smiled excitedly, taking his digivice out. He stopped though when he heard sinister, chilling laughter in the background. Daisuke turned around and was surprised the Digimon Kaiser was so close to the Children. But Motomiya soon grew furious when he realized that the Kaiser was in a fit of laughter. The evil Chosen Child shook his head while cackling hysterically.

"Angewomon's data is different from yours, V-mon. You wouldn't survive the evolution process against all the Dark powers here; the base is one concentrated Dark Tower. To evolve successfully, you would need angelic data. And you don't have that!" the Kaiser jeered cruelly, turning his attention back to the battle. With his goggles over his eyes, he had no need to fan away the dust that was collecting in the air from the battle.

Seeing the Kaiser was not too far from him, Daisuke readied to pounce and pound his declared enemy. However, Hikari emerged from the dust behind the Kaiser, a furious glare etched into her crimson eyes. "We still have Patamon!" Hikari yelled back, coughing ever so slightly. "He can evolve to Angemon and then to HolyAngemon: we would win then."

The sinister lad sighed tiredly. "Hikari, always so naïve: I don't see his partner around anywhere, and Digimon need the help of their Chosen Children to evolve. I know for a fact that YOU aren't his partner; so, in conclusion, the little yellow-flying-pig is useless."

Daisuke had heard enough. He charged towards the Kaiser, but he was ready for the rash boy. Shifting slightly to the side, the Digimon Kaiser evaded Daisuke's punch, spun around, and kicked Daisuke in the gut. The young Child of Courage flew back into the arms of his worried Digimon. The other Chosen Children ran to Daisuke's aid. "Are you all right, Daisuke?" they all inquired.

"Pitiful boy," the Kaiser muttered beneath his breath, "he always gets the attention." Sickened from watching the Chosen Children nursing Daisuke, the Digimon Kaiser returned his consideration to the ongoing battle. A smile played on his lips when Angewomon suffered from an attack; but the smile would not last long.

"I've had enough of this!" Angewomon growled as she flew higher into the air. Light energy began collecting around her being and into her slender hands. As soon as enough power was concentrated, the angel exclaimed, "Heaven's Charm!"

LadyDevimon was ready to counter. "Darkness Wave!"

BOOM!

There was a large explosion as the two monstrous attacks collided, causing both Digimon to devolve back to Champion forms. "Tailmon!" Hikari yelled, catching her Digimon partner in midair. The Digimon Kaiser ran to aid BlackTailmon, whom landed with a thump against the cold, black floor.

"Are you all right, BlackTailmon?" the Kaiser asked, gently cradling the little Digimon in his arms. BlackTailmon free herself from the Kaiser's hold, shakily stood up, looked at her master and nodded. The Dark Ring had been destroyed, but the Digimon still obeyed the Digimon Kaiser.

"You aren't hurt?" the Kaiser asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine, Lord. Don't worry about me," BlackTailmon replied, softly enough so that only the Kaiser could hear the reply. "I'm just really, really tired--" Then the feline collapsed to the ground, the Digimon extremely weak from the battle.

"You did your best, my servant. Go take a rest," the Kaiser said. Waving his arm over the Digimon, an eerie light surrounded BlackTailmon and transported her away somewhere into the depths of the base.

"I guess the battle is a tie," Yamato muttered, taking a look at Hikari and Tailmon. The white feline, like her darker counterpart, was fatigued from the battle and could not possibly continue fighting. Hikari, being a part of Tailmon, was tired and just as severely strained. The other Chosen Children agreed with Yamato, since the Digimon Kaiser had sent away his Digimon.

"It's not over!" the Digimon Kaiser yelled, tears dripping from beneath the goggles. For some odd reason, his dark gold hair seemed in more disarray and unruly than it had before. The Chosen Children stared at him with surprise all over their faces. The Digimon Kaiser was crying.

His gloved hands balled into fists, the Digimon Kaiser growled, "BlackTailmon didn't deserve that!"

'No one deserves to suffer.'

"Well, Tailmon didn't deserve that either!" Hikari yelled back with as much force she could spare. She hobbled towards the Kaiser for another fight, but Taichi placed a firm hand on her shoulder and stopped Hikari where she stood.

Hikari regarded her brother curiously. "Taichi?" A strange look was in her brother's eyes, a dismal, precarious look Hikari had never seen before. Something had suddenly changed in her older brother.

"Well, since you aren't satisfied with the last battle, pick another Digimon, and Augumon and I will fight you," Taichi challenged, his voice cold and unfeeling. Although willing to fight with his human partner, Augumon felt ill at ease from Taichi's unusual remoteness. The Chosen Children stared quizzically at their courageous leader. Even the Kaiser stared at the Bearer of Courage with uneasiness.

"Fine!" the Kaiser agreed with rage. "And we'll see who has the last laugh."

Glaring at the Digimon Kaiser, Taichi thought, 'I can guarantee, Kaiser, it won't be you. You think you've mastered the Darkness, but you haven't seen what I can do. Just wait and see what powers I wield.'

As the Digimon Kaiser was about to call upon another Digimon, Patamon spoke up with the squeaky voice of his. "Wait, I'll fight for him." The little Digimon shocked all of the Chosen Children. Had Patamon agreed to fight for their enemy?!

"What are you doing, Patamon?" Hikari asked, holding the little, yellow Digimon of Hope before her. "You can't fight for him, Patamon. He's the Digimon Kaiser." Patamon looked at Hikari with determination and hope in his blue eyes.

"No matter who he is, what he has said, or what he has done, I always have to defend Takeru. And right now, he needs me the most," Patamon spoke boldly. "Takeru needs my help, and I'll always there for him!" Patamon out of Hikari's arms and flew his way into the Digimon Kaiser's arms.

-


	6. Bind 6: Divided

-

**Author's Note**: End of first arc

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 6: Divided**

-

"Patamon," the Kaiser whispered fondly, holding the little Digimon closer to him. Patamon smiled his sweet, innocent smile at the Digimon Kaiser, snuggling into the human's arms.

'Patamon, I'm afraid I'll lose you again, like that time four years ago when we fought Devimon. I don't want to lose you again, Patamon,' thirteen-year old Takeru cried, snuggled inside his bed beside the yellow Digimon. 'I don't want you to be deleted.'

'Don't worry, Takeru. I won't disappear like that ever again. And even if I did, I would come back to you, just like last time,' Patamon assured warmly, wiping away his partner's tears. The little monster gave Takeru its trademark sugar-coated grin. 'We're stronger than we were back then--nothing can defeat us now. We're unstoppable!'

'Promise Patamon?" the young blonde boy sniffled. 'Do you promise that you won't leave me alone? We'll be together forever?'

'I promise!'

"Remember what we promised, Takeru? Together forever," Patamon cheerfully exclaimed, putting his forepaws onto the Kaiser's chest. The Digimon's happy voice rang out through the cold, dark base, making the fortress seem more foreboding and colder than it already was. Patamon's joy and hope reminded the Chosen Children what a dreary place the Kaiser's fortress really was.

The Digimon Kaiser gave Patamon a small smile, the young man touched by the little yellow Digimon's loyalty. Patting his partner's head fondly, Takeru felt an ominous peace growing in his heart. "We'll be together forever, Patamon, even in Darkness."

'You and I lost in this existence.'

Right then, Patamon and the Dark digivice on Takeru's side began glowing with eerie, dark light. As the evil aura spread, Hikari felt herself growing weak and nauseous, the atmosphere growing cold. 'The Darkness,' a voice gasped fearfully in Hikari's mind, 'the Darkness is growing and will soon consume Takeru's heart if you do not rescue him. Hikari, the Darkness is coming for that little one. Hope must be rescued, Hikari, for his Light is quickly fading. Hikari--Hikari, don't let go of him--'

Hikari, confused by the stranger in her mind, was about to collapse onto the icy metal base floor, but Taichi saved her when he quickly noticed his sister's disorientation. "Are you okay?" Taichi worriedly asked as he held his little sister against him. The older Yagami flinched when he felt Hikari's skin clammy and cold, like winter ocean water. Hikari violently shivered, clinging to Taichi for warmth.

"Something horrid is coming. Something's wrong with Patamon!" Hikari cried, sobbing into Taichi's shoulder. She could not stand the horrible aura the Dark Light emitted and struggled to make it disappear. Her insides wrenched and writhed from Darkness' frightening assault upon her. "Make it stop, Taichi," she earnestly begged. "Don't let Patamon change! Don't let the Darkness take them--Don't let it take Takeru!" Taichi looked darkly at his little sister, feeling the coldness in the air around him. It felt sad--depressing--Dark.

Taichi kneeled to the ground, a breaking Hikari still in his arms. Tears welled into the older brother's mahogany eyes while trying to comfort his sister. 'Damn it, Taichi, you can't be like this. You have to be strong. You must be strong for Hikari! You have to keep positive!' Taichi stared at Augumon with fire in his chocolate pools. The orange lizard-like monster regarded his partner with equal life. "Win, Augumon!" Taichi muttered. "Win and bring back Takeru. Bring back Takeru for Hikari."

'Bring back her happiness.'

"I will, Taichi."

The Digimon Kaiser's Dark digivice and Patamon reacted to one another, their powers reaching their pinnacle. Dangerous changes were about to occur, and Patamon would soon disappear. "Patamon, Dark Evolve! IceDevimon!"

"Augumon, Warp Evolve! WarGreymon!"

Hikari gasped in terror when she looked up from her tears. The Child of Light's ruby eyes were blank, fear clouding over any life within her. "Patamon! He evolved to--He evolved--He's IceDevimon"

Tailmon awoke from her unconsciousness and bristled in shock when a wave of Darkness hit her. Shakily rising to her feet, Tailmon trembled at the faint recognition of her old friend within the Dark Digimon. "Is that Patamon?" she asked with horror in her sad, innocent eyes.

"You ready, WarGreymon?" IceDevimon smirked as he flexed his claw-like hands. A cruel glint lighted his eyes. "Just promise me that you'll make this a good time; I'd hate for you to go without a fun end."

Growling at his former friend, WarGreymon replied, "You can stop this now, Patamon. We can end this now and no one has to get hurt. You and I don't have to fight to bring back Takeru, Patamon."

"Patamon doesn't exist anymore." The devilish monster cackled sinisterly. "And don't worry about Takeru, WarGreymon. He's a big boy; he can take care of himself." Taking a pointed glance at Taichi, IceDevimon maliciously added, "But you should keep your eye on Taichi. You never know where he'll go."

"Patamon." The Digimon and Chosen Children stared, awestruck by IceDevimon. Fear overwhelmed their senses as reality slowly sunk into their minds. Their bubbly yellow friend had evolved into an icy monster of Darkness.

"I can't believe Takeru let Patamon evolve into IceDevimon," Daisuke gasped, tightly clenching his fists. The Bearer of Hope, the one who had preached to Daisuke endlessly how Evil had to be controlled and banished, had just allowed his partner evolve into something truly evil. 'This is wrong: totally completely wrong. It shouldn't be like this.'

"Let's get started!" The air froze while Dark energy gathered around IceDevimon. "Ice Claw!"

While a rush of slicing icicles and an enormous mass of evil energy rushed at WarGreymon, the Digimon of Courage collected his energy for his own attack. Although the attack was ready fairly quickly, WarGreymon had to maneuver and dodge IceDevimon's relentless missiles before getting a clear target. "Terra Force!"

"No you don't--Ice Claw!"

Coming into close range of each other, IceDevimon and WarGreymon started hand-to-hand combat. The monsters traded numbing blows and sharp swipes. Taichi passionately encouraged and advised his partner. "Give that weakling what he deserves. Teach him a lesson and delete him! No mercy for this one, WarGreymon!"

The base rumbled with all the force and collisions of IceDevimon's and WarGreymon's attacks.

"I can't believe he's the Digimon Kaiser. I can't believe he's Takeru," Yamato growled fiercely. The older brother was outraged by the Kaiser's true identity; the situation was a complete and total nightmare. Had Yamato's little brother, the hopeful, innocent Takeru forgotten what his duty as a Chosen Child was? Had Takeru forgotten the meaning of being a Chosen Child, of being a friend?

'Why are you doing this?' Yamato thought harshly. 'Takeru, why are you doing this? Have you forgotten who you are? Did you forget about your duty, and your friends? Did you forget your feelings, your beliefs? What's happened to you, Little Brother?' Yamato ignored the rubble falling around him, not caring if he got injured or not; his mind was racing from fury, love, and sadness, all for his little brother, Takeru.

The Digimon Kaiser motioned his evolved partner to attack while disappearing into the shadows of the corridors leading into the base. Noticing Takeru's movements, Taichi and Yamato raced to follow the younger boy, only to be blocked by IceDevimon. "Where do you two think you're going?" the monster snapped coldly.

"Patamon, this isn't you!" Yamato argued, trying to draw away some of the devil's attentnion. Taichi snuck towards the other direction, and Yamato cheered in his heart when he saw his friend successfully disappear after his brother. "You know the difference between right and wrong, and you know this is wrong!"

Narrowing his crimson eyes, IceDevimon replied, "I'm staying with Takeru no matter what. No one else matters." After his cold words, IceDevimon swung his arms and created a huge gust of wind, throwing Yamato into the wall. Gabumon and Sora ran to his rescue.

"You'll pay for that one!" WarGreymon growled while jabbing at his opponent. As speedy as the courageous monster was, IceDevimon evaded the attack and returned it with ease.

"Yamato, are you all right?" Sora and Gabumon asked worriedly. Yamato, now regaining consciousness, nodded bleakly while trying stand on his feet. The young woman and canine Digimon were relieved when they saw Yamato had no blood or broken bones.

"Yamato! Yamato, where is Taichi?" Hikari yelled anxiously with Tailmon at her heels.

'Please, don't let me lose him too!'

"Hikari, watch out!" Daisuke yelled, tackling the girl to the ground. V-mon did the same for Tailmon. Rubble crashed harmlessly behind the four thanks to Daisuke's quick observation action. Seeing the danger had passed, Daisuke lifted himself from Hikari and asked kindly, "Are you all right, Hikari?"

"Thanks, Daisuke," Hikari hastily thanked, rising immediately to her feet. She then ran towards Yamato and asked again, "Where did Taichi go?"

"He followed Takeru deeper into the base," Yamato murmured, shaking the dizziness from his self. When the young man lost his footing, Hikari supported Yamato with her shoulders and helped him stand. "We should back Taichi up."

Sora, rushing to help Hikari, inquired, "How? You know for yourself how IceDevimon isn't allowing anyone to follow after Takeru. How are we all supposed to get through without him noticing?"

Turning and taking at look at the team he had, Yamato executively decided, "Koushiro, Iori, Hikari, and I will go after Taichi and Takeru first. Jyou, Sora, Mimi, Daisuke, Miyako, and Ken will create a diversion for us if needed."

"What do you mean by 'if needed'?" Jyou demanded.

Mimi pointed in the air frantically. "Everyone! Duck!" Just as the young lady ordered, everyone dived to the ground and missed being killed by a monster fireball. That was when the others remembered the ongoing battle.

"What I mean by 'if needed'," Yamato growled, painfully rising from the ground, "was that WarGreymon has IceDevimon pretty occupied right now. The first team might be able to slip pass him without help-but if we need it, you guys have to give it to us right away." Giving his chosen team a quick glance, Yamato ordered, "Okay, you guys and Digimon, we're going to rush towards that doorway as fast as we can. Are you ready?"

With a unanimous nod, four humans and their Digimon ran towards the dark hallway Takeru, the Digimon Kaiser, and Taichi had disappeared into.

"Why won't you just die?" IceDevimon snapped, launching numerous icy missiles at WarGreymon. Following his heartless attack, the devilish Digimon extended his slender fingers into dangerous slashing daggers.

"Patamon, this doesn't have to be this way!" WarGreymon pleaded, dodging IceDevimon's swipes and blows. "We don't have to fight each other. We can turn Takeru back towards the Light, back to how he used to be. We can save him from the Darkness!"

"Just worry about saving yourself!" IceDevimon rammed his former friend into and through the cement and metal wall.

-

Seeing smoke and dust coming from behind the group, Yamato hollered, "Everyone, brace yourself!" A gust of dust and debris flew past the Chosen Children, some stones and metal pieces slashing at them here and there. Iori began to cough violently from the smoke and dust, Hikari protecting the younger boy from the cutting missiles. Yamato and Koushiro wiped away their teary eyes, trying to regain their temporarily lost sight. As soon as they all recovered, they resumed their search for Takeru and Taichi.

Reaching the end of the darkened hallway, the group of eight found themselves in larger room filled with monitors and blinking devices. Looking around some more, Hikari noticed a fallen figure and another standing over the former in a shadowed corner. The young lady gasped when she realized who the fallen figure was. "Taichi!"

While Chosen Children ran to Taichi's rescue, Takeru moved away and quietly remarked, "He's not hurt. He became like this on his own."

"Taichi, Taichi! Taichi, please be all right," Hikari cried, cradling her older brother in her arms with tears in her eyes. His body was limp and cold, almost lifeless. "Please, be all right, Taichi." The younger Yagami embraced her brother lovingly and sobbed.

From a distance, Takeru watched Hikari weep for her brother and the others observe her solemnly. The Digimon Kaiser inwardly growled. 'She cries for him when he's not even injured. Why? Why does she care so much about him, especially him? Why won't she look at me?'

At that moment, the other six Chosen Children entered the control room, the lot rushing into the area in panic. Even the brave Digimon sped with fear. "Yamato, Taichi!" Sora yelled while running towards her friends. "Watch out!"

"They're headed this way!" Mimi shouted after Sora.

Yamato stared at the group curiously. "Who?"

As Daisuke yelled a response, the answer came crashing through the walls. WarGreymon and IceDevimon, locked in each other's death grip, wrestled and slammed the other into anything and everything. The rumbling and crashing stirred Taichi back to consciousness.

'The Darkness--The Darkness is coming. I can feel it,' Taichi thought while his brown eyes slowly opened. Looking up into his sister's teary ruby eyes, Taichi knew Hikari could feel it as well. 'The Darkness is coming. And no matter how hard we try, we will lose--either the battle or someone dear, we will lose something.'

"Hikari."

Returning her attention to her older brother, Hikari could not help but grin. A heavy weight lifted from her already burdened heart. "Taichi, I'm so glad you're all right."

Sitting up by himself, Taichi embraced his sister and whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry."

'I'm sorry, Hikari, that we have to end it this way.'

"This is it: we're ending this now!" WarGreymon snarled, collecting his remaining energy together. "Terra Force!"

Seeing WarGreymon launching his strongest attack, IceDevimon released his own. "Ice Claw!"

The two attacks collided; light blinded all as the attacks fused with the other with tremendous might, resulting in a massive explosion. Rubble and dust completely filled the room, causing everyone to cry, cough, and run for cover. Koushiro, Iori, and Jyou had found some cover behind some of the Kaiser's equipment; Ken and Miyako protected each other, with the help of Stingmon and Hawkmon, of course; Daisuke ducked away with V-mon, not wanting his blue partner injured; Yamato grabbed Mimi and Sora out of harms way; Taichi protectively covered Hikari with his own body. As the dust settled, Taichi, after making sure Hikari was safe, recovered Koromon from beneath some debris.

"Koromon, are you okay?" Taichi worriedly asked, fear written all over his face. He wiped away the dust and blood covering his friend while praying for the best. Taichi could feel his heart pounding in his ears, worried that his friend had used too much energy during the battle.

Koromon looked weakly at Taichi, a sorrowful look in his bright ruby-red eyes. His expression only made the crevice in Taichi's heart grow. "I'm sorry, Taichi."

"Sorry?" Taichi chuckled weakly, trying to stay hopeful. "Sorry for what, little guy?"

"I'm really sorry for making one of your friends sad. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to. I'm so sorry, Taichi." Taichi stared confusingly at Koromon for a second and then realized what had happened. While shaking his head, Taichi slumped his shoulders and tried holding back his tears. Koromon bowed his head in sad defeat. Taichi's suspicions were finally confirmed.

'It's my fault. Takeru, I'm so sorry that I've made you suffer so. I'm sorry we had to end it the way we did.'

"Patamon! Patamon! Answer me!" The Digimon Kaiser, after recovering from the enormous explosion, furiously dug into the rubble, looking for his small yellow-white friend. Sharp, jagged pieces cut through his gloves and clothes and marked his skin with blood. "Patamon! Please! Answer me!"

Not able to watch his helpless brother, Yamato rushed from behind Takeru and muttered, "Stop it, you're hurting yourself! You have to stop, Takeru, he's not--"

"Get away from me!" the Digimon Kaiser snapped, swinging a fist at Yamato. Of course, Yamato had easily dodged the blow, but he was hurt by Takeru's intentions. "I'm going to find Patamon!" The Chosen Children watched sadly as the Digimon Kaiser searched for the little Digimon in vain.

"No! No! What have I done!" The Kaiser frantically pulled at his hair and tore off his goggles, throwing them to the side. A shattering noise was heard. The blonde teenager fell to his knees, sadness consuming him. "Patamon!" The Kaiser cried, sobbing into his hands.

'Now you've left me too. What am I supposed to do now?'

"Takeru..." Takeru turned around, Hikari and the other Chosen Children behind him. "I'm sorry, Takeru. I am so sorry," Hikari whispered with a diamond tear in her eye. She was close to sobbing, her heart broken from Takeru's pain. "I wish that this could have ended in a different way. I really wish that this had ended in a different way." Takeru glared at her, his tear-filled, crystal eyes jabbing an icy look at her. He quickly got to his feet.

SLAP!

"This is all your fault!" Takeru yelled viciously at the shocked Child of Light. "I hate you--I wish I had never met you! Everything here, it's your fault!" Hikari's crimson eyes and heart became empty.

"How dare you--" Daisuke ran toward Takeru, ready to deck him; but Taichi was quicker, much quicker.

BAM!

Takeru flinched, but stood strong, even if Taichi had hit him hard in the face. He would not fall with such a blow. He refused to fall, not after what Taichi, what they had done to Patamon. Daisuke's fist twitched, itching for the blow he had wanted throw at Takeru.

"Takeru, I'd never thought that you would ever--" Taichi's voice trailed off, the young man being out of breath from fury and despair. How dare Takeru strike HIS little sister? But regret was in the old leader's heart as well. Taichi was so sad that Takeru had succumbed to the Darkness. 'Takeru, I'm so sorry.'

BOOM! KABLANG!

A large explosion suddenly erupted from behind the Chosen Children, causing a few to scream in surprise. Little bits of debris scattered about them as the walls crumbled around them. "Run. Get out of here, now. Get out now, if you want to live," a cold voice ordered. The Chosen Children looked at Takeru in complete confusion.

"This base, this whole entire structure is going to self-destruct very soon," Takeru informed coldly and slowly, his face completely expressionless. "If you don't get out now, you're all going to die."

-


	7. Bind 7: Death

-

**Author's Note**: Beginning of second arc.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 7: Death**

-

BOOM!

The base rumbled as explosions rampaged the fortress; the walls crumbled around everyone with wires flying, metal collapsing, and sparks flaring. "We have to get everyone out!" Yamato yelled as he took charge. He and Sora helped weakened Taichi to his feet; Yagami had not fully recovered from his spell of unconsciousness. Pointing towards one wall, the new leader ordered, "Gabumon, we need an exit!"

"I'm on it," the dog-like monster dutifully responded. "Blue Blaster!" The other Digimon followed suit and with their own attacks either assisted Gabumon or prevented the Kaiser's base from crushing the Chosen Children. In an instant, Yamato's partner shouted, "We're done!"

"All right! Everyone, let's move!" Ishida commanded with a motion of his hand. All the Children scrambled up onto their feet, readily and quickly running towards the new exit. However, Yamato froze in his steps, remembering the imprisoned Digimon in the Kaiser's base.

With Yamato stopping, Sora turned towards him suddenly; Taichi turned his head and fix his gaze on his friend in wonder. "Yamato! We have to get out of here!" Sora urged, offering her hand to the blond young man and supporting Taichi simultaneously. "We have to hurry!"

"But what about--"

Walking up from behind Yamato, Takeru laughed a bitter, lifeless laugh, sending chills up everyone's back. "I know what you're thinking, Yamato, and it's already been done. When IceDevimon and WarGreymon crashed into this room and started battling, all the Digimon were released," Takeru quickly explained, "Now, it's your turn." A cold gust of air flew from behind Takeru and towards the Children, pushing them through their exit and making them fall into the cool desert sand.

"Takeru!"

The young blonde boy stood alone in the base, which steadily fell to pieces. Bits of stone and metal began falling around Takeru, dust and smoke filling into the air. His eyes tearing, Takeru stood in the middle of his command center and pondered his tragic mistakes. 'What did I do wrong?' he thought as he clenched his fists. 'I was so close. I nearly had all of it--the Digital World was in my hands. Why did it fall from my grasp? Why?'

'Because she looked you with fear—She thought you a monster.'

"With my own two hands," Takeru muttered while staring at his gloved hands, "I nearly conquered the Digital World. With these hands, I nearly had it all." Growling and clenching his hands into fists, the teenage boy shouted, "And I lost it! I lost it all because of my weakness!"

Remembering his degenerating surroundings, Takeru estimated that his fortress would crash into the desert sand in about ten minutes, causing a massive explosion. The power generators with their reacting cells would make sure of that. No survivors would be left from such a large and powerful blast. Sensing his hopeless situation, Takeru made no move to run or escape. 'It's all her fault. It's all HER fault--It's all her fault.'

"Lord Takeru!" a small voice yelled out in the mists of the explosions. Takeru turned around and spotted a small form emerging from the smoke and dust. Seeing BlackTailmon hobble out of the smokescreen surprised and bewildered Takeru.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!" Takeru yelled angrily, his cerulean eyes flashing furiously. "Get out! Get out now!" BlackTailmon stared at her master sadly, walking weakly but steadily towards him.

"Aren't you going to leave, Lord Takeru?"

"No."

The Digimon's azure eyes widened with fear. "Why not?"

"My life is worthless, BlackTailmon. I've given many people pain, destroyed my own best friend, and become something I have fought my whole life against! I've done things that I would have never done, even if Death himself was before me," Takeru spat, completely disgusted with himself. Slowly tears welled up in Takeru's stormy eyes as the broken boy bowed his head. "I gave up everything so that I would mean something to her. I surrendered humanity just to be someone to her. I can't go back, not back to her or who I used to be."

'I'm not who I was.'

BlackTailmon watched Takeru with a saddened expression and decided upon something at that moment. She laid on the ground by Takeru's feet and faced her master defiantly. "Then I won't leave."

"You will, and that's an order!" Takeru snapped, glaring at the feline monster. BlackTailmon stubbornly shook her head, very much determined to stay with Takeru. She refused leaving her master alone here.

"Not unless you come with me, Lord Takeru, will I leave," the Digimon shouted in reply. "Without you, I lost myself. You saved me, so I owe everything to you. I won't leave you alone, Lord Takeru!"

Takeru's woeful blue pools stared at BlackTailmon, filled with tears. BlackTailmon's loyalty mirrored the loyalty of another, and the memory of the other broke Takeru's heart. "Then, good bye, everyone."

-

"Takeru," Hikari whispered anxiously as she watched the base, on fire, float down towards the ground. Cool, smooth, fine sand flew into her hair, clothes, gloves, shoes, everywhere possibly imagined, but it did not bother Hikari. She watched the base with sharp scarlet eyes, hoping she could spot a sign that Takeru had escaped. She saw nothing come out. "Please, Takeru," Hikari prayed, "Please, come out. Be safe."

Suddenly, the base crashed to the ground, creating a large explosion. A mushroom cloud shadowed the skies. Hikari stared at it in horror.

"TAKERU!" Hikari cried out, her soul tearing apart as she did. "NO! TAKERU!" Her heart twisted in pain as she watched the flames and smoke from afar. She tried to run to the still burning remains of the base, but Taichi and Yamato grabbed her arms.

"Let me go!" Hikari screamed, tears pouring from her eyes, "I have to go and get Takeru!" She wiggled and writhed beneath Taichi and Yamato's hold, kicking up sand through her struggling. Even with their dual effort, Taichi and Yamato toiled holding back Hikari.

"I have to help Takeru!" the Child of Light sobbed while she continued to fight her way through the sand and the two brothers. The other Chosen Children watched silently and helplessly, knowing they could not comfort nor assist with the crisis.

Finally getting a hold on his sister, Taichi grabbed Hikari's shoulder and forced her to face him. Hikari turned her face away from Taichi, keeping her gaze upon the destroyed fortress. The older Yagami turned Hikari's face to him again and held her gaze. Hikari could see Taichi was crying as much as she was. "Taichi--"

"Hikari, listen to me. It's no good for you to run into that horrid place and put yourself into danger. No one, not even an all-powerful Digimon could have survived that explosion. Nothing is coming out alive from that base, Hikari," Taichi murmured in a low, solemn voice.

'He isn't coming back.'

Shaking her head, Hikari trembled from beneath Taichi's hold. She felt her knees grow weak, her legs shaking. Hikari covered her ears; she could, would not stand for this. "NO! HE'S NOT GONE! TAKERU IS NOT GONE! TAKERU IS NOT GONE!"

Tears came to ruby-eyes non-stop; Hikari felt she could cry out a river. Hikari collapsed onto Taichi, her body finally giving out. The girl falling into despair, her vision began to fade. "No, he isn't dead. He isn't--Takeru is not gone," Hikari mumbled softly. Everything then went black.

-

Yamato solemnly walked to his mother's home, trying to find the right words to say. Telling his mother about Takeru would prove difficult, no matter how well Yamato informed her. How did one tell his mother he allowed his little brother to die? Added to that, how did one tell his mother he just watched his brother die? Yamato felt his heart tug and twist in agony.

"What kind of brother am I?" Yamato yelled out in anguish, slamming his fist into the metal post. People walking by stared at young man in surprise and fear. Yamato ignored them as he continued to walk. He felt no pain in his fist, his mind numb from recent events. 'How could I have been so careless? How could I have just let Takeru get kidnapped and then converted into Darkness?' Yamato thought.

'I was supposed to protect him. I was supposed to keep him safe from ALL harm, to have him NEVER get hurt.' Yamato's eyes narrowed in anger, tears about ready to spill out. 'But look at what happened. Now, I have to tell my family that Takeru, my little brother, is dead. I just watched and let him die.'

Staring into the sky, Yamato yelled, "This isn't fair! Why was it Takeru? Why, when I tried so hard to protect him, did you take him away? Why did you choose him?" Crying into his hands, the Child of Friendship sobbed, "Takeru, you gave me hope when everything seemed impossible—you kept me from the Darkness. Why couldn't I do the same for you?" And with a dark, gloomy cloud overhead, covering the sun and warmth, Yamato continued walking to his home with a heavy heart.

When Yamato finally walked into his mother's apartment, he found his mother on the couch, crying and trembling. 'Did she already find out?' Yamato asked in surprise. 'Does she already know about Takeru?'

Unsure of the answer, Yamato tentatively strolled to his mother's side and asked her, "Mother, what's wrong? What's going on?" Rising her head, Yamato's mother looked into his deep blue eyes, her eyes reflecting a sad, yet joyful expression.

"Takeru came back home!" Mrs. Takaishi exclaimed happily, tears now coming out quicker than ever. She smiled while continued sobbing, "Oh, Yamato, Takeru is back home! He's finally back home!"

"What?" Yamato stood by his mother, absolutely stunned, as she embraced him lovingly. Was his mother being serious?

"I know! I couldn't believe it. When I came in from work, I had this funny feeling, and checked Takeru's room," Mrs. Takaishi muttered through her joyous tears. "And there he was! Lying in his bed, fast asleep with Tailmon next to him. I just couldn't believe it!"

After spending a few minutes helping Mrs. Takaishi to calm down, Yamato promptly went to Takeru's room to check up on him. Exactly like his mother had said, Takeru peacefully laid in his bed, fast asleep with BlackTailmon loyally by his side. Yamato felt faint as hundreds of thoughts bombarded his mind at once. 'But I thought--Oh, to Hell to what I thought! I've got to tell the others!'

-


	8. Bind 8: Reconfiguration

-

**Author's Notes:** Less editing will now be done, since later chapters are more recent and closer to my liking. However, revision with names, spelling, punctuation, and grammar will continue.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 8: Reconfiguration**

-

A trembling form laid on her bed crying out her broken heart. Her body, mind, and soul aching with so much pain, the shattered girl had no idea how much more she could take. Her cheek still stung from where Takeru had slapped her; the pain would haunt her to her grave. Over and over again, repeatedly in her thoughts Hikari saw Takeru's hand rushing towards her face. The loud, angry sound on impact echoed through her deaf ears.

And for all the pain, she deserved every bit of it. For what she did, Hikari deserved all the sadness she felt now. 'I can't believe it—Takeru's gone, and he's never coming back! It's my fault!' Hikari cried bitterly. 'I should have never hurt him, my best friend.'

Leaning against the doorposts of the darkened room, Taichi helplessly watched Hikari mourn. The dark sky rumbled and growled with a looming storm; the heavens lamented in its own way. But the room emitted greater darkness with the gloom and sadness that surrounded the grieving Child of Light. The older Yagami had never seen his little sister so depressed. Yet never had Hikari's best friend died a tragic death. A feeling of regret washed over Taichi's mind, remembering what he had done after Takeru had struck Hikari. Taichi scowled at the memory.

BAM!

'Takeru, I never thought you would ever—' Taichi's voice trailed off, the young man breathless from fury and despair. How dare Takeru strike Taichi's little sister? But the old leader's heart held regret as well. Taichi mourned that Takeru had succumbed to the Darkness. 'Takeru, I'm so sorry.'

If anyone had asked Taichi months before if he thought that Takaishi Takeru would strike his little sister, Yagami would have laughed and called the person insane. Takeru turning on Hikari was as likely him taking over the Digital World; however, the blonde boy had proven otherwise, thus the feelings of discord between Takaishi and younger Yagami. Taichi never imagined that Fate would give Takeru a cruel destiny.

'It was so obvious. It had been so obvious from the start.' So why did Taichi not notice? Why had he not seen the problem from the beginning? If only had he have done the right thing before all of this. 'How could I have been so blind? It was my fault that Takeru had become like this, and now—he's gone. He's gone forever, and it's my fault.'

The phone rang, stirring the mahogany-haired lad from his thoughts. Taichi sighed as he left his watching post and turned to answer the phone. "Hello? Yagami residence," he answered indifferently, his voice almost emotionless.

"Taichi, it's me, Yamato," the caller responded. For a moment, he had almost remained silent, shocked by the dead tone his friend used. He knew Takeru's death weighed heavily on Taichi's heart, as much as it did on everyone else; but even the others did not possess such a lifeless voice.

"Oh, Yamato," Taichi greeted, his mood slightly lightening, "Where are you calling from?" Hearing Yamato's voice somehow comforted Taichi, reminding him the present was not the end. Life could and would continue. "Did you make back home safely?"

Ignoring his friend's questions, Yamato blurted, "Taichi, you won't believe what I found."

"What?" Taichi listened closely, curious by his best friend's sudden behavior. Yamato's voice was rushed and fast-paced, as if he were very excited about something. What had happened from Yamato's trip to the Digital World to the Real World?

"Takeru's alive! He's asleep, in his bed, in his house! Mother found him here, fast asleep, just a few minutes ago!" Yamato exclaimed in one breath. He could barely contain his excitement and did not care if Taichi though him childish. His brother was alive—His younger brother was still alive!

"WHAT?"

The phone trembling in his hands, Taichi stared at the wall in a daze. He could not believe what he had heard. If Takeru still lived, then the young man had somehow escaped the base without the others noticing. Without doubt, Taichi celebrated Takeru's survival; however, suspicion wormed its away into his heart. Frowning, the Child of Courage pondered the possibilities. 'Was there a portal in the Kaiser's base? Is that how he survived?' A darker thought cast its shadow over Yagami's thoughts. 'Or maybe something else had helped Takeru escape.'

Without taking a break or noticing his friend's sudden silence, Yamato quickly explained the situation and how his mother had found Takeru sleeping in his room. After a few quick assurances and agreements, Taichi said, "Don't worry, Yamato. Hikari and I will be there in a few minutes." He quickly hung up the phone and went to his mourning sister.

"Hikari!" Taichi muttered, shaking his sister gently. The young lady did not stir; she only continued weeping into her bed for her lost friend. Taichi scowled at her and unresponsiveness. His brown eyes glared at his little sister, wondering for how long she would stay depressed and unwilling, how long she wander dangerously in darkness. Taichi would not have a sister like this—he knew that he did not have a sister like this.

"Hikari! Stop crying!" he yelled angrily and annoyed, his hair now going all disarray, even if it already shot in every direction. Curling into a tighter ball, Hikari felt hurt with her brother's sharp words. She had thought he would understand her sorrow. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you, but hurry up and get up!"

The young lady made no motion to move, which earned a glare from her older brother. "Fine! You can stay here and cry all day while I go see Takeru," Taichi shouted, stomping out of the bedroom. In a second, Hikari's gaze locked onto her brother's form.

-

Hikari gasped for air beside her brother, both out of breath and soaking wet. They had run all the way from their home to Takeru's. On the way there, the storm clouds had finally let loose their wrath and tears, which only made Hikari more desperate to see Takeru. The stormy clouds reminded Hikari of Takeru's eyes, his eyes when she had last seen him: full of chaos. 'I hope that I can speak to him and apologize,' Hikari thought, biting her lip anxiously. 'I need to apologize to Takeru.'

"Where is he?" Taichi finally heaved with his hands on his knees.

"He's in his room. Follow me," Yamato motioned, readily leading his friends into the apartment. As the three Chosen Children entered Takeru's room, they gaped. Ishida could not believe his eyes. "Takeru, he's—gone. But—but he was here! I swear it!" Yamato yelled, scanning his brother's room in a panic.

Right then, a flashing light caught Hikari's eye. Takeru's monitor blinked while various programs ran, and Hikari recognized one of them. Beside the computer rested Takaishi's white bucket hat. "Yamato, he was here, and I know where he went," Hikari said, bringing out her digivice from her pocket and walking towards Takeru's desk.

'I'm going to find him, see him again,' the brunette girl reassured herself. She stared at the monitor with strong resolve. 'I'm going to find Takeru and make things right.'

She raised her device in front of the monitor and firmly shouted, "Digital port open!" Before Yamato or Taichi could stop her, Hikari entered the Digital World, the dimensional port closing and locking immediately after her.

-

"Where am I?" Takeru wondered, walking mindlessly but steadily towards an unknown destination. He treaded onward with no memory or care, as if life no longer mattered. Why was he here? Why had the Digital World called for him when he had betrayed it? Why did it call him when he no longer possessed his Chosen trait? What purpose did he have left?

"We've arrived at Primary Village, Lord," BlackTailmon informed, strolling loyally by Takeru's side. "Remember? You left Primary Village untouched since you believed it neutral territory."

Tears came to Takeru's azure eyes at the mention of the village. "P-primary Village?" He stopped a moment and gazed at his surroundings. "You mean where all the Digimon are reborn?" the young man asked with a little hope in his shaky voice. BlackTailmon nodded tentatively in reply. Slowly but surely, Takeru recognized all the bright colors and sounds of newborn Digimon.

'Patamon.'

"Ha! Patamon!" The blonde lad jumped up excitedly, new life lighting his gloomy face. He smiled at his dark companion. "He's got to be here! He's just got to be!" Takeru ran as fast as he could into the Village, BlackTailmon right at his heels.

"Patamon! Patamon!" Takeru called out. "Patamon!" He desperately searched and searched for the egg he had seen when he was eight years old, hoping beyond hope he would see it. He had to find it. 'Patamon's egg, it has to be here!' Five years had passed since he had last seen Patamon's egg, but Takeru remembered well enough what it looked like. The image of it was as vivid as ever within his mind. "White and yellow stripes—It has to be here. Where is it?"

Takeru looked through all the eggs around him, and he did find white and yellow striped eggs, by the tons. But they were not Patamon's egg, his Patamon's. "I can't find it! I can't find Patamon's egg!" he cried miserably, falling to his knees. BlackTailmon snuggled Takeru beneath his chin, trying to offer him whatever comfort she could give.

"Lord Takeru, please don't cry. It makes me sad when I see you cry."

"I can't help it! It's my fault! Patamon's gone forever, and it's all because of me!" Takeru sobbed into his hands. His blue eyes were filled with tears of remorse, loneliness, anger, and darkness.

"You bet it is!" a small voice added.

"Who said that?" Takeru asked, tears still in his eyes while he looked up.

"It's your fault that Patamon's gone!" Takaishi turned around and spotted the small stone cradles that held the baby Digimon. Seeing the infant monsters, Takeru then realized that the baby Digimon spoke to him.

Another baby Digimon spoke up after the first. "And you're supposed to be protecting us!" it snapped coldly.

"Look at you!" yet another piped with a harsh glare. "You're evil! Some Chosen Child you are!"

"You've become something that you're supposed to be fighting against. What kind of Keeper of Hope are you?" another baby sneered. "We don't want a Digimon killer as a protector for our World."

Seeing the truth in their verbal attacks, Takeru began to weep once more, mourning for the loss of his Digimon partner and his incompetence as a Chosen Child. 'They're right, they're all right,' he cried in his mind. His face was in his hands, tears forming puddles in his palms. 'I surrendered the Digital World to Darkness—I let everyone, Patamon down. I let everyone down: Patamon, Hikari, Yamato—the others. I am evil.'

Before another Digimon could attack Takeru, BlackTailmon intervened, growling and glaring at the babies. "That's it! If any of you say another bad thing about or to Lord Takeru, you're going to get it! And I don't care if you were hatched just three seconds ago!" BlackTailmon angrily threatened while flexing her sharp claws.

"Why are you standing up for him? You aren't even his Digimon partner!" another little one yelled.

"That doesn't mean that I can't stand up for him! Lord Takeru is my friend, and I'm not going to let anyone harm or harass him! In fact, I'm going to—" The dark feline monster was going to say more but was silenced by Takeru's hand on her head.

"That's enough, BlackTailmon. Let's just go," Takeru muttered despondently, slowly rising to his feet. "We don't want to cause any more trouble." He and BlackTailmon walked out of the Village and wandered into the woods, right on the outskirts of Primary Village. The forest the two had wandered into was dark and damp, the trees icily glaring at the two intruders; the feeling of it sent chills up BlackTailmon's spine. She did not receive a benevolent sensation from the forest, yet Takeru seemed somewhat at home here.

'The cold—it feels so nice,' he thought while shuffling through the woods. 'It's like reaching the shade after being in the sun too long—being exposed to the light too long.' A relieved sigh escaped Takeru's lips, which received a worried look from BlackTailmon. Darkness seemed to be emitting from him, as if he were beacon for it.

"Lord Takeru, are you all right?" BlackTailmon inquired apprehensively, sincere compassion in her voice. The touch of her paw on his arm awoke Takeru from his mindless reverie.

"No, I'm not all right, BlackTailmon. I'm all alone." His quiet remark caught the Digimon by surprise. "I'm all alone. No one cares about me."

"That's not true!" the ebony cat yowled, butting her head against the human in protest. "Someone does care about you. I care about you, Lord Takeru." Takeru smiled a small smile at the little Digimon and petted her thankfully.

"I think you and Patamon were the only ones who truly cared for me." BlackTailmon looked sadly at Takeru, her blue eyes softening at the sight of the blonde human. She knew that his words could not be true. At the base BlackTailmon had seen love and care come from the other Children to Takeru, especially from one certain person.

"But what about that girl at the base?" Takeru frowned, knowing of which girl BlackTailmon spoke. The young lady's image had haunted Takeru for so many years, always coming to him in his dreams; and yet now her enlightening spirit threw a dark shadow over Takeru's mind.


	9. Bind 9: Beginnings

-

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 9: Beginnings **

-

"What about her?" Takeru demanded angrily. His blue eyes flared angrily with just the mention of the girl's name. BlackTailmon slightly winced at the harshness in Takeru's voice. His bitterness bit with every word.

"I thought she cared for you," BlackTailmon whispered softly, not wanting to offend Takeru anymore than she already had. Her connection with Takeru was critical at this point: she could not afford for him to push her farther away.

The young man sighed despairingly at BlackTailmon's words. Why was he always continually reminded of that cruel siren? What did Takeru do to be tortured like this by that vixen of a Yagami? He could not escape her in any way or form; always she remained in his thoughts and memories. Takeru folded his arms and collapsed tiredly beside a black tree, feeling extremely cross. "Hmph. You mean Hikari? As if she would care for something like me," Takeru spat, leaning his back against the ice-cold tree. His voice echoed hauntingly through the lifeless forest.

"What about your brother, your father, mother, or Taichi? The other Chosen Children or the other Digimon: didn't they love you?" BlackTailmon asked, trying her hardest to summon compassion and care from Takeru. If she could somehow drive away his doubts, BlackTailmon knew that her partner would escape Darkness' clutches. She put her gloved paws on Takeru's knee and tried to break the frigid stare in his cold cerulean eyes.

"They never cared." The lad scowled even more at the mention of those people. They had also betrayed him—his brother had abandoned him, his friends had no heard his pleas for help, and his family did its best to tear him apart. To Takeru, love represented pain and loneliness.

"What makes you say these things, Lord Takeru? Why do you feel so much hate toward the other Children?" BlackTailmon asked worriedly. Why could she not reach him? Why did she still misunderstand his feelings? What was it that she missed?

Takeru's face showed anger and pain, but his eyes cried out in sadness and abandonment. He was lost; Takeru had forgotten who and what he was. So now what did he have to continue? "BlackTailmon, why do you care for me? Everyone else hates me, but why is it that you don't? Why is it that you're still here beside me?" Takeru asked in an exasperated tone.

BlackTailmon smiled, her blue eyes basking in the warmth of her expression. "Because, I know you are kind. You never seemed evil or cruel to me, Lord Takeru. I knew you were the Chosen Child of Hope, and I have faith in you. And right now, you need a friend." She purred gently and continued grinning at her master.

"I was kind," Takeru murmured quietly, "Once upon a time, I was. Before the Dark Ocean took me."

"What do you mean?" BlackTailmon asked, fear and sadness taking over her cheerful expression.

-

"What do you mean Hikari's in the Digital World? That's impossible!" Koushiro exclaimed in a shocked tone. "After our battles with the monsters all over the world, Gennai left only possible port open--and it's impossible for Hikari to have reached that port." The other Chosen Children agreed with the computer expert. Taichi and Yamato scowled and felt disappointed that their friends did not believe them.

Presently, everyone sat in Takeru's forest green bedroom for their emergency meeting. The Chosen Children had decided to meet in the Takaishi apartment, where Hikari and Takeru had last been seen. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's what she and Takeru did! Maybe we didn't see Takeru disappear into the port, but we sure as hell saw Hikari disappear into there," Yamato argued with exasperation, throwing his arms in the air. The Children stared at him, surprised by the Bearer of Frienship's sudden action.

"They used their powers," Taichi muttered mostly to himself. Everyone turned and stared at the leader, an awkward silence filling the small room. Taichi appeared different, but no one could name the particular subtle change. His appearance, although solemn, seemed ordinary; his expressions remained the same; but why did his surrounding air seem dark?

"Taichi, what are you talking about?" Daisuke questioned. "What do you mean 'they used their powers'?"

"You, Miyako, Ken, and Iori wouldn't know what I'm talking about, Daisuke. It happened seven years ago in the Digital World," Taichi replied immediately. "But the rest should remember about Hikari and her abilities." The older Children's faces darkened as they recalled their past memories.

"Are you talking about her relationship with the Dark Ocean?" Ken asked.

"Sort of," the older Yagami said enigmatically, "it's a little more than that. When we were younger and first came the Digital World, Hikari had this power to summon this light, a light that was just completely amazing. She had used the light many times to save our lives, and because of her crest and powers, Hikari was a little more in-tuned with the Digimon and Digital World. The same was with Takeru. I don't know how, but he seemed to know how to control Hikari's powers and his own. It's strange, really." Taichi held his chin thoughtfully but gravely.

Giving the young Children a bleak smile, Koushiro continued, "We don't quite understand the extent of Hikari and Takeru's powers. All we really know is that they and their Digimon are connected somehow and they're vital to the Digital World. Out of the eight original children, Hikari and Takeru are the strongest."

"But if you think about it, Takeru and Hikari's powers are the strongest in the fight against the darkness. So how did Takeru become influenced by evil? And if Hikari's has amazing powers, why doesn't she use it to help Takeru and rid the Digital World of all darkness?" Miyako demanded.

"The world must remain balanced; and for there to be light, there must be darkness," Taichi started explaining, "Hikari can't destroy the darkness because she's connected to it. It's the same for Takeru. They're closest to darkness. Hikari and Takeru are the closest but yet farthest from our enemy."

"So, you're saying that because Takeru and Hikari are the Keepers of Hope and Light, which are a complete opposite of Darkness, and are closely tied to it, they are or can be easily influenced by Darkness?" Koushiro asked.

"Well, that would make sense. Without the Darkness, there would be no Light or Hope; and wherever there is Light, there is Dark. Light has to stay well in-tuned with the Darkness, to make sure there's balance between the two," Ken added.

"And how did you figure all this, Taichi?" Sora asked with amazement.

Taichi shrugged, not out of pride but of insecurity. "One thing about being a good leader is that you have to know your group's weaknesses, strengths, and their limits. You have to know how far everyone can go," he replied as best he could. 'But I'm not a good leader, am I? I allowed too much harm to my friends, and I underestimated Takeru. I'm such a fool.'

"But Takeru—how did Darkness turn him?" Iori asked.

Everyone grew silent, all except Ken. "I know how," he said with gravity. "It was the Dark Ocean. It was the Dark World that turned Takeru. They probably did something to him, something horrible. They turned him against his total will."

"Well, that would explain his sudden disappearance," Jyou murmured grimly.

"Come on. It's a long way back to the campgrounds," Taichi said as he led everyone out the door of the bedroom. While putting on his shoes and rain-jacket, the young man thought, 'Please, Takeru, hold strong. Protect Hikari, and please don't do anything to endanger our future. Please protect her, Takeru, and yourself.'

-

"They tortured me, BlackTailmon. They tortured me every day, until I begged for them to simply kill me. It wouldn't have mattered if they had. I had no point to continue living," Takeru explained, blankly staring at a dead blade of grass. It had a lifeless and useless existence, very much like his self.

"Oh, Lord Takeru."

"Then, after I had begged for death, they just let me go, just like that," Takeru rambled on, his mind swimming through his forlorn memories: there were so many of them. "They left me in the Digital World, with only one instruction: to pull the Worlds into Darkness. And I obeyed."

'I did it for her.'

"But, you didn't. You didn't pull the Worlds into Darkness. That means that there's hope for you yet!" BlackTailmon happily exclaimed. "You disobeyed because you willed it."

"What hope is there for me? I tried to pull the Worlds into Darkness, like they had ordered. I had no other point in life, BlackTailmon. It was the Darkness that gave me SOMETHING to live for." Takeru groaned at his words, unable to grasp the reality in them, unwilling to accept them. "I was to live to control the Digital World. Besides, I'm the Chosen Child of Hope! If I can't hope, who can?" His spirit grew farther and farther away from BlackTailmon, Takeru staring with blank and soulless eyes at the trees.

"Lord Takeru, why is it that you refuse to believe that you have goodness? Why can't you see it?" BlackTailmon pleaded. "You're good. I see it, and your friends see it as well."

"What friends?" he snapped.

The feline monster frowned, frustrated with Takeru's hopelessness. "You have friends, Lord Takeru, and you know it. You know the Chosen Children will not abandon you. Why can't you admit that the Chosen Children are your friends?" she demanded with fervor.

"I don't know. Something inside of me—it hurts, yet I feel something, but I can't define it. It's strange, BlackTailmon. I don't know what to think or feel anymore. I don't know if I fight for the right thing or wrong. It's just all too confusing," Takeru groaned as he placed his hands upon his head, frustrated.

BlackTailmon looked at Takeru with a smile. "Lord Takeru, it's all right to be confused about your feelings. At one point, everyone gets confused about his or her feelings; but everyone usually figures them out eventually. You'll figure this out—you just need to give yourself time."

Takeru looked to the ground. "I'm not sure, BlackTailmon. I'm not sure that I can figure out my feelings."

There was a long moment of silence, neither human nor Digimon speaking. A chilly wind blew through the frail body of Takeru, making him shiver slightly. The cruel, biting wind whistled in BlackTailmon and Takeru's ears, piercing the silence with a painful, evil shrill. BlackTailmon then took a good look around her surroundings. "Lord Takeru?"

"Yeah?"

"How did we end up in a cave?"

-


	10. Bind 10: Unfolding Truth

-

**Author's Note:** Revised version of "Tai's Truth Unfolds" (old title for chapter). Meant to be a prelude for the sequel, but am not sure if sequel will ever be published. Enjoy.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 10: Unfolding Truth**

-

"So, what are we suppose to do?" Miyako inquired, trying to catch someone's eye. Disliking the awkward silence, she tried to adjust herself onto the squashy bus seat, sitting beside Ken. The Chosen Children all rode the bus, together heading towards the old football campsite. Late at night, no one else sat on the bus, luckily for the Children. They did not want a crowd to stare at them. It was enough already to have the bus driver giving the Chosen Children a funny glance. The Children had decided that he was a little suspicious of them, since they were only kids riding a bus late at night. What adult would not suspect that?

"Well, seeing that this is the same cycle that Ken went through, we'll find Takeru, convince him that we're on his side, and then try to eliminate the Darkness in him," Taichi planned bluntly, looking out the window blankly. He sat alone, Yamato sitting in from him and Sora diagonally from him. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the group or to anything else for that matter. Taichi was deep in thought, thinking. 'The Darkness—we can't give it anymore chances,' he sighed. 'I thought, after all that's happened, it would let go of Takeru, but I was wrong again. Maybe—maybe it's not the Darkness we have to eliminate but—ah, I shouldn't worry—it doesn't matter now.'

The Chosen Children looked at Taichi and then to each other, all surprised. Something bothered Taichi; and from the looks of his calm, placid appearance, the thought in Taichi's mind was very disturbing. "Taichi, are you okay?" Koushiro asked worriedly, popping his head above behind Taichi's seat.

"Yeah, sure. Why is it you ask?" Yagami asked blankly, turning his attention back to the group. Taichi's eyes were dark chocolate brown, the usual happy, cheerful spark within them dead; and when the other Chosen Children looked into their leader's eyes, they saw nothing but forever: an endless and empty eternity.

"Well, Taichi—you seem, well, different," Yamato responded, turning around to face Taichi.

His friend raised a curious brow. "Different?"

"Yeah, different. Like how you know so much more about this situation than any one of us," Jyou put in, turning around from across the aisle. "You also seem, well, how can I put this? You don't seem as passionate about fighting like you usually are." The oldest Chosen Child looked around as if to gain everyone's assurance. In turn, everyone gave him a nod. "When one of us are in danger, you're the one person who's so determined, caring, and optimistic that makes the rest of want to go on," Jyou continued, "but now, it's different. You're so worried about something else that you don't have that fire you've always had."

"Jyou is right, Taichi. You're not the same," Mimi added, sitting beside Jyou.

Taichi looked down and away from the group. He had not known that he was completely apparent. 'So they've noticed, huh? But now what are you going to tell them? You obviously can't tell them the truth,' he groaned inwardly. 'Worse things than this situation will come if you do. You can't tell them a lie, either; Yamato's sitting in front of you! He'd know in one second flat that you were lying—well, I guess it's better to say nothing about it.' There was complete silence on the bus as the Chosen Children waited for their leader's answer. When Taichi realized that he HAD to respond, he sighed.

'They don't understand, and they shouldn't. They don't know what we're going up against,' the leader thought with a sad smile. 'Either way, it's me that we're going to have to sacrifice, all to save the others. And to keep them from finding out the truth, I will die.'

"Takeru and I, we have a lot in common. I just know what Takeru is going through right now," Taichi replied after a moment, watching the scenery that could be seen in the black of night as they drove by. Yamato stared at his best friend with a quizzical look in his sapphire eyes.

"Do you care to explain? You know, elaborate in some way?"

"How would you like your deepest, darkest secret known to everyone?" Taichi asked coldly in response. Everyone turned away from Taichi right then, all except for Yamato, who stared with fury at Taichi directly in his brown eyes.

"Taichi, he's my little brother. I want to know what's going on with him. I want to know how I can help him. No, I need to know how to help him," Yamato replied firmly. "I can't just sit here and do nothing to help Takeru! That would drive me insane!"

"You can help him as you helped Sora and yourself," Taichi replied blandly, staring without expression at Yamato.

The blond young man felt confused. What did Taichi mean by his words? 'Taichi, where are you going with this?' Yamato thought with a frown. At the moment, he did not understand his best friend at all. "What does this have to do with Sora and me?"

"Everything and nothing."

"Quit talking in riddles, Taichi. Talk to me straight," Yamato spat angrily. He was quickly losing patience for his long-time friend. He felt that Taichi spoke ambiguously purposely, to anger and frustrate him. Why?

"I'll talk to you straight," Yagami responded sternly, "when you finally realize that Takeru is having the same problems that you and I faced when we were in the Digital World."

Yamato glared at Taichi, fire burning within the blue-glass orbs. "Taichi, I don't think Takeru has the same kind of problems as I did."

"Oh, do you, now?" Taichi laughed briefly before saying, "Yamato, quit being so blind! Takeru, like all of us had, is going through confusing times where he doesn't realize who he is. You've been there, Yamato. You left our group just to find yourself. You left us just to find YOU." Yamato turned away from Taichi, stung by the accusation. Indirectly, Taichi had just called him a traitor in front of everyone. Yamato shook with fury and rage, his fist by his side trembling.

"I didn't know the meaning of life, my crest, myself. I needed to find myself. I just thought—I thought that if I couldn't help, than I would be in the way," Yamato explained as calmly as he could. His fist trembled beside him. "I had too much negative thoughts and feelings, and if I had stayed it would have just become worse. I would have put in everyone in danger."

Instantly, Taichi responded, "That's exactly what Takeru is feeling. He's feeling those exact same emotions, and a little more. He feels as if no one cares, he is useless, nothing more than a shadow to others. Yamato, as his older brother, just try to be understanding."

"What about Hikari?" Yamato asked in retort. "What's wrong with her? Can't you help her, Taichi?" Taichi sighed.

"She's—Well, I can't say." With a defeated slouch, Taichi placed his head in his hands and released a deep sigh. His sister: what could he say about his little sister? He could not say much about her that he wanted the others to know. "I—I don't think she wants everyone to know how she feels, or what she thinks. She's beginning to close up like Takeru; and I'm not going to let anyone take away Hikari," Taichi finally said when he found the proper words. "Those two are always suffering the same problems, Hikari and Takeru. It's as if they were connected by each other's lifeline." Taichi stared out of the window once more, deep waves of sadness overcoming the look of coldness in Taichi's eyes. "It's all my fault. I should have ended this a long time ago."

Yamato was not sure what Taichi meant. 'Ended it a long time ago? What are you talking about, Taichi? What are you hiding from me, from all of us?' Having nothing more to say, Yamato turned around and retook his seat; Sora continued to stare at Taichi with worry. Ishida frowned, afraid of everything at the current moment. With how he felt, anything could happen—anything being good or bad.

The Child of Friendship growled angrily; he hated being afraid of everything. He hated being scared of anything; but it was his fear that usually kept him level-headed. Fear kept him realistic and reasonable. Yamato stared at Taichi with sad eyes, wondering if his brother-like friend was ever going to tell him what was truly happening.

'Taichi, I won't press the matter now; but this is FAR from over. I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I will find out what is going on,' Yamato swore inwardly. 'Why do I have the feeling that you, my dear friend, are in the middle of all this? What are you hiding from me, Taichi?' Yamato thought sadly, disappointed that Taichi did not trust him enough to tell him. 'Why can't you trust me, Taichi? Why? Aren't I your friend? Don't I know you better than anyone? I know you, Yagami Taichi, better than anyone else, even yourself.'

As Taichi watched the world go by, he could feel Yamato's blue eyes boring into his back. Taichi sighed, knowing that Yamato was upset because of him. 'Yamato, I know you feel hurt. I'm sorry that you think I don't trust you, but it is better that you know as little as possible. I know you want to know, and I know that you worry for everyone. And that is why you must not know. This is why you must not know the truth.'

-


	11. Bind 11: Awakening

-

**Author's Note: **End of second arc.**  
**

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 11: Awakening **

-

"A cave?" Takeru asked with little curiosity, looking around. BlackTailmon was right. The two of them were in a dark and lifeless cave. When Takeru thought about it, his back rested against cold, hard, coal-black stone. A Dark cloud passed over the duo; Takeru could feel a horrid, murky feeling surrounding his heart, and the dampness and chilling feeling inside the cave did not cause it. The cavity in the earth felt somehow familiar to Takeru, as if he had been here before. Somewhere in his distant past, he had been here before. 'Why is it so god-damned cold?' Takeru shivered, his breath forming a temperate cloud as it came out.

"Lord Takeru, I feel so c-c-cold," BlackTailmon stammered as she shivered, voicing her master's thoughts. Takeru swore that he could hear her bones shake. With sympathy and gentle care, Takeru took BlackTailmon into his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"Is that better?" he asked his Digimon friend softly. BlackTailmon nodded happily, her soft, warm fur rubbing against Takeru as she did. 'Her ears are so soft,' Takeru thought, 'and very warm—it feels nice.'

"Lord Takeru, you can be kind. You're not evil or mean as those other Digimon said. You're a kind, caring person," BlackTailmon whispered gently. Takeru smiled slightly; it was near invisible, but BlackTailmon could see a faint trace of a smile on her Lord Takeru's face. It seemed to make all the difference upon his doleful, darkened face.

"I can, can't I? I can be kind," Takeru muttered, mostly to himself. 'And I didn't have to fight myself, my own heart. It was just me.' Was it truly unnatural for him to have feelings? When did he begin to think so? When had he begun to believe himself emotionless and heartless?

"Why is it you think you can be nice, Lord Takeru?" BlackTailmon asked. 'I nearly have him. I'm so close to reaching him.'

Takeru looked deep within himself. His mind swirled with conflicting emotions; feelings of his past, memories, and a light somewhere buried deep within him tried to fight to the surface. He could feel that small spark lashing out to get out; it was fighting the turmoil that reigned in Takeru's black heart. "I don't know, BlackTailmon. There's something inside of me that wants to get out, but it's overwhelmed by the Darkness. That light is like me; it's been overtaken by Evil."

"You said that you've been here before?" BlackTailmon asked about the cave, snuggling deeper into Takeru's arms. Strange warmth seemed to be radiating from him, like a low-powered heating lamp. Takeru nodded in reply, shivering a little. Sitting on and against a cold, damp cave was chilling Takeru to his bones. The slow drip-drip of water echoed throughout the tunnel, making the cave seem more haunting than ever.

"I remember being here before, and my brother was here, too." Takeru thought really hard about his surroundings, looking into his past. Somewhere he had been in this foreboding underground. Then Takeru suddenly realized where he had seen this place before; the memory had aroused above the harsh waves of confusion.

"I was here when the others and I were fighting the Dark Masters," Takeru whispered to himself. "Taichi had ordered Sora and me to find Yamato, Jyou, and Mimi to help fight Piedmon. I found Yamato and Jyou, and then we had to find Sora. We found her in a dark cave, just like this one." With his pause, Takeru swallowed to clench the dryness in his throat. Oddly, he felt slightly nervous—almost anxious.

"Sora was surrounded by darkness; it was like a black fog, if I remember correctly. Yamato and Jyou revived her after a long while, and then we went to go help Taichi. We barely made it on time; if Taichi had been alone for a minute longer, he would have died." Takeru frowned at the memory. He remembered tears had welled into his little blue eyes when he saw the brave, courageous Taichi half-dead. He had fought hard not to cry, especially in front of his brother; after all, Taichi was Yamato's best friend, and Yamato had not shed a single tear. Takeru remembered Hikari's eyes filled with tears for her brother, the ruby orbs nearly spilling their diamond tears.

'Hikari was so sad. She watched Taichi get beaten up and nearly die, but she tried not to cry. She wanted to be strong like her brother, like I wanted to be as strong as Yamato.' Takeru sighed, remembering.

"So, we're in that same cave that your friend Sora was in? " BlackTailmon inquired curiously.

Takeru shook his head. "Yamato told me once that he was caught in the same situation that Sora was in before her. He explained to me that there was a Dark mist that created the cave by feeding off you fear, doubts, and anger: the Darkness in your heart. So, in truth, we're not in the same cave. We're just trapped within the Dark mist. I guess it finally found me after so long," Takeru sighed tiredly.

BlackTailmon could sense Takeru's hopelessness, his unwillingness to continue. She knew she couldn't allow Takeru to fall into despair or Darkness. She was determined to save her Lord Takeru. "How are we going to get out of here, Lord Takeru?" BlackTailmon asked quickly.

"I have to find that spark that will lead me to the light, just like Yamato and Sora did when they were here. I need to find that something, the thing that—I don't know. I need to find something that will help me live," Takeru explained, exasperated. He felt so tired and did not know if he could continue. Did he have a reason at all?

BlackTailmon had other ideas and looked hopefully at Takeru. "What is your light?"

"I don't know, BlackTailmon. I don't think I have light anymore," Takeru replied, leaning his head back against the cave wall. He sighed as he closed his blue eyes, little bits of blonde hair falling over his eyelids.

The feline monster frowned at her partner and his indifference to existence. She refused to allow Lord Takeru to give up without a fight. 'Oh, please, Lord Takeru! Please don't give up! Please don't give up to the Darkness!'

"Please, Lord Takeru! Look! Look for your light! Don't give up to the Darkness!" BlackTailmon yelled, voice her thoughts.

"I'll try. I—I think that—" Takeru thought of all the happy moments in his life. He went back to his young childhood to find such moments; but even then Takeru only found sadness. He remembered when his parents had just gotten a divorce, separating Takeru and his older brother. 'How much I hated that day.'

Takeru growled in disgust. He still did not know why his parents had separated; and every time Takeru had asked Yamato why it happened, his older brother would just change the subject.

Takeru's memory went on, remembering. He recalled when he and his mother had just moved into their new apartment. He was miserable and sad, but Takeru had hidden all of his feelings behind a fake smile. He had hidden his emotions all for his mother. She was all he had left, and Takeru did not want to disappoint her. 'It was all for her,' Takeru thought sadly

But then, after that, Takeru thought of other things. He remembered when he had become a Chosen Child with the other Children. In the Digital World, Takeru had gotten closer to Yamato once more; but even that was not a bright moment in his life. His brother had tried to push him away, afraid of the hurt they would feel once more after they parted. 'He was scared, just like me,' Takaishi sighed. He remembered that he was alone during those adventures with no one to talk to. He talked to Patamon and the others, of course, but they just were not the type of people or creatures that Takeru needed to talk to—

'Patamon.'

Takeru frowned, his features and heart hardening. 'Patamon, what have I done to you? I turned you into something that the two of us vowed to always fight against; I turned you against everyone; and you did that all for the sake of me. You sacrificed yourself for me.' A tear rolled down Takeru's cheek. Somewhere, deep in his heart, Takeru knew his Digimon partner would not come back. No matter how he wished, he knew Patamon would not return; the part of his heart where Patamon had occupied was now empty.

"Why? Why did I have to lose you, Patamon? I lost a part of my heart first to Yamato. Then, I lost my heart to her. And then, I lost another part of my heart to you. Why do people keep on leaving me?" Takeru cried. BlackTailmon wiped away Takeru's tears as best as she could, not wanting to see Lord Takeru so sad.

Takeru could feel something soft wiping away his cold tears. He knew it was BlackTailmon, but the softness—It reminded him of something else. Takeru's memory flashed back to a night, that night directly after Yamato had defeated Puppetmon and had left their group. Takeru had cried that night, trying to fall asleep. He remembered Taichi holding him, trying to comfort him as a small child.

'Hey, it's all right, Takeru. It's all right,' Taichi soothed. Takeru continued to cry, wishing desperately that his brother had not left the group. He felt so alone without his older brother; it was like that time Taichi had left and the group had fallen apart. Taichi watched Takeru sadly in his arms, wishing he could make Takeru feel better.

'Cry all you want, Takeru. Just let it all out,' Taichi whispered, cradling the small blonde boy. As Takeru continued crying, he felt a hand brush away his tears. He then felt the small, soft, warm hand cup his right cheek. Takeru turned to the owner of the hand.

Hikari, whose bright red eyes were sad as well, looked at Takeru with hope. 'Don't cry, Takeru. Yamato will come back. He loves you still. He'll love you forever,' Hikari whispered gently, a tear falling down her cheek. 'So, please, Takeru. Don't cry so sadly anymore. It makes me real sad to see you so sad.'

Takeru sniffled as he wiped his own tears away with his green sleeves. Takeru didn't want Hikari to be sad because of him. He took Hikari's hand and held it with both his own hands. Takeru remembered how soft and warm they were. 'Don't worry, Hikari. I won't be sad anymore. As long as I've got you and Taichi, and the others of course, I won't be sad,' Takeru replied, smiling a cheerful happy smile.

Hikari smiled, as so did Taichi. He was glad that Hikari had found a way to bring such a smile to Takeru's face. Takeru felt happy, knowing that he was not alone after all. She was there. 'She was my friend.'

Takeru's memory then took him to another place in time, a time after that night. 'Do you think she'll be all right, Sora?' Takeru asked, watching Hikari worriedly. Hikari's fever had not gone down, and it did not seem as if Hikari was going to make it. She tossed and turned in her feverish sleep, mumbling Taichi's name every so often.

Sora sighed, unsure of how to answer the little boy. She knew that Takeru's spirit was a fragile one; Sora did not want to hurt him, but—'I'm not sure, Takeru. Hikari is an unstable right now. I'm not sure how—'

'Don't worry, Takeru. Hikari is a real tough kitten. She'll be back on all fours sooner than you think,' Tailmon replied quickly. The cat-like Digimon stared at Hikari painfully, not wishing to see her human partner in so much agony. To Tailmon it was like watching Hikari being tortured by Vamdemon (although, Vamdemon's agony would have been greater Hell compared to this).

'Yeah, don't worry, Takeru. Hikari's going to be just fine,' Patamon reassured, his innocence taking the better of him. He rested on top of Takeru's head so that his presence would reassure his parter. In truth, Patamon had no clue what could happen to Hikari.

Takeru stared sadly at Hikari, who lay in the bed very ill. How much Takeru wished that he could have gone with Taichi to find medicine for Hikari. He did not like to wait in this house, doing very little to help Hikari. Takeru wanted to be out there, with Taichi and Koushiro, doing SOMETHING to help Hikari; but Takeru had promised Taichi that he would stay with Hikari and protect her. Takeru knew this was a large responsibility, and only a few people would Taichi ever let to watch over Hikari without his supervision.

Takeru wished that Hikari had never come. With one look of her red, pained face, Takeru wished that Hikari had never gotten involved with the Digital World. If she had never come to the Digital World, she would not have been so sick. And look at Hikari now. She could barely speak, and as every second went past, the Chosen Child came closer to being found by Machinedramon. Things were not looking so good, especially for Hikari. 'Takeru.'

The young Takeru turned and saw Hikari mumbling once more. 'Takeru.' Hikari faintly cried out. Takeru rushed to her side.

'Hikari, are you okay?' Takeru gently asked. He knew that Hikari more likely couldn't hear him, but it made Takeru feel better to talk to her as if she could.

'Takeru, never think like that,' Hikari mumbled. Takeru gasped. Could Taichi's little sister actually hear him through her sickness? Was she telepathic? 'Never think like that, Takaishi Takeru. Never give up.' And with that, Hikari fell back into her feverish sleep.

Takeru smiled at Hikari, a tear falling down his cheek. He held Hikari's clammy, cold hand, trying to warm it up with his own. 'Don't worry, Hikari. I won't give up. For you, I won't give up.'

Takeru then found himself on a balcony, which looked over a desolate, cold world. Takeru wondered where this memory fit in with his life. He then heard a shout and looked up. Takeru saw himself, Hikari, and Piedmon all clutching a rope that led upwards. 'Let him go!' Hikari yelled angrily at the Mega Digimon. Piedmon laughed evilly. The distress in the small Child of Light's cry humored him.

'Hikari, let me go! If you do, then he can't get you!' Takeru yelled back. He looked desperately at Hikari, his blue eyes boring into her red eyes. Hikari shook her head, determined not to let go of her blond friend.

'I'm never letting you go, Takaishi Takeru! Never!' Takeru could feel tears welling up in his eyes, touched by Hikari's strong loyalty. Piedmon frowned, feeling a little neglected at the moment.

'Well then.' Piedmon took out one of his swords and cut the rope. He would allow gravity to finish off the last of the Chosen Children. Takeru and Hikari screamed as they fell helplessly. Piedmon laughed at the sight.

'I see that you two are just FALLING for each other! HAHAHHAHA!' he cackled without remorse. Takeru, as the wind quickly blew past him, looked at Hikari and saw her crying in fear. Takeru quickly wiped his tears as fast as he could as they fell.

'I can't let Hikari see me cry. I have to be strong!' Takeru thought as he held his "brother's keychain". 'I have to be strong like Yamato!' Takeru grabbed Hikari's hand, giving her a reassuring look. Hikari immediately stopped crying and looked at the young boy. Takeru, with wind blowing through his blonde hair, smiled at her. Takeru and Hikari both felt safe with their hands locked together. Takeru's crest then began to glow. Hope spread throughout the sky.

Takeru then found himself in a colorful place with toys swinging on tree branches and bubbles all over the place. 'Hey, look at all the eggs!' Hikari yelled, very much excited. Takeru saw that little takeru was right by her side, excited as well. The sky was literally raining Digi-eggs; colorful spheres of yet-to-be-born Digimon littered the ground of Primary Village.

'Come on, Hikari! I'll show you how to hatch them!' Takeru yelled, running into the storm of Digi-eggs. Hikari smiled happily as she was right by his side. There was never a moment when those two weren't with each other. Takeru remembered that he and Hikari had hatched at least fifty Digimon before Elecmon drove them off; the Caretaker did not want so many mouths to feed all at one time. So instead of hatching more Digimon, Hikari and Takeru, with the help of Tailmon and Patamon, went and tried to get the toys off the trees.

After that childhood memory, the scene within Takeru's mind shifted once more. 'Yamato, wait!' Takeru pouted, not able to run as fast as his older brother; Takeru was four years younger than Yamato after all. Yamato turned and smiled. The two blonde boys were running down the streets of Tokyo as fast as they can, trying to dodge other pedestrians in the process.

'Oh, come on, Takeru! We don't want to keep Taichi and Hikari waiting, do we? I'm pretty sure that Hikari is bouncing of the walls just knowing you're coming by,' Yamato laughed. He remembered Taichi's exasperated voice and Hikari's loud, but sweet one when the two Yagami's called for the Ishida/Takaishi boys to come over.

Takeru blushed as he tried to catch up. 'I said wait, Yamato!'

Ishida Yamato just laughed as he raced ahead. Seeing his little brother blush at the mention of Yagami Hikari was enough proof for Yamato; his suspicions were now confirmed. It would be enough proof for Taichi too when he would see it also. Yamato chuckled at the thought of how Taichi would react when he found out someone liked his little sister.

'It's great to see you again, Takeru. I was beginning to worry that I would never see you again,' Hikari sighed, taking a sip of her drink. Takeru smiled a sweet smile, making Hikari slightly blush.

'Really?' Takeru questioned, tensing up in his chair. He and Hikari were currently relaxing in a cafe, two blocks away from the junior high school. Hikari had suggested that the two of them should go there after school, since Takeru was new to the neighborhood. To Takeru's joy, the two of them had unanimously agreed to come there alone (and that meant no obnoxious, but good-intentioned Daisuke). Hikari nodded.

'I mean, after our summer adventure, I really missed you. When the others wanted to meet and talk, I felt a little alone, since I was the youngest without you," Hikari replied. Takeru felt his heart warm towards his childhood-friend once more.

'I know, I know how you feel. I had no one to talk to about our adventures. All I had was Yamato over the phone, but even then that wasn't enough.' Takeru sighed, wisps of blonde hair falling onto his eyes.

'Well, now that you're back, we won't be alone anymore. We'll never be lonely ever again. We'll always be together,' Hikari giggled, holding out her pinky to Takeru. The young man chuckled as he hooked Hikari's pinky with his own.

'We'll be always be best friends, from now until forever,' Takeru added merrily. A large, happy grin appeared upon Hikari's sweet face; Takeru could feel his face grow warm. The two Chosen Children, with their pinky fingers still hooked, both shook in agreement to their new pledge. And it seemed with Fate's help, they would keep it.

'Hikari. '

"Hikari." BlackTailmon stared at Takeru.

"Light?"

Takeru smiled, not believing the word that had come out of his mouth. He could never, it seemed, stop loving her. After so long, the girl that Takeru thought he had hated, she was the one. That girl, Hikari, Yagami Hikari, was the one. "Yes, Hikari. She had always been there as my friend, always there to help me. We're best friends, until the end. Now I realize our relationship with each other. Even if we are nothing more, our love for each other will last forever. "

Light began to grow from Takeru, warming the air around Digimon and Human. The Dark mist with the cave disappeared, all Darkness and hopelessness disappearing with them. "Hikari and I, we're best friends, and that's something we'll always have," Takeru muttered, looking down into his palm. There, in his hand was his crest, the golden Crest of Hope.

-


	12. Bind 12: Revelation I

-

**Author's Note: **Beginning of third arc.**  
**

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 12: Revelation I**

-

"Takeru! Takeru!" Hikari's sweet and clear voice echoed out throughout the Digital World. "Takeru! Where are you? Please, answer me!" The young lady searched all around her, trying to find the blonde boy, her best friend, Takeru.

Hikari had been searching for Takeru for a long while now, and she still found no sign of the young man. The younger Yagami could feel her voice grow hoarse and raspy from yelling out for hours, calling for her other half of her heart. Even as she lost her voice, Hikari continued her search. She would not give up now—never again would Yagami Hikari give up on Takaishi Takeru. 'I have to find him. I have to find you, Takeru.'

"Takeru, where are you?" Hikari cried out sadly. The blowing wind carried her voice, any being able to hear her from miles away. She stood on a ledge that looked over the Digital World, hoping she could spot some sign of her friend. After all, the port had led her to this place, and Hikari knew that Takeru was not far from her location. 'Oh, Takeru, where are you? Please don't run from me. I need to see you. I need to hear your voice, feel your arms around me. I need to tell you—I need to tell you how I truly feel.'

She tried to remember Takeru's sweet, happy face, like the one he would have whenever the two of them played with each other as young children. Hikari tried to remember the Takeru who had gladly accompanied her to New York City; but no, Hikari could not remember that Takeru. She could not remember the Takeru from before—the only Takeru that Hikari's mind would remember was the sad, lonely young man she had seen at the Digimon Kaizer's base. 'Oh, Takeru,' Hikari sighed sadly.

Hikari spotted Primary Village down below the cliff, the village of baby Digimon resting peacefully in the middle of a bright, sweet-smelling flower field. Orange and yellow flower petals swirled around in the air as the warm, gentle breeze blew them away. 'This place, this world seemed so peaceful and bright, yet this world holds such a Darkness and turmoil.' Hikari quickly searched for Takeru, more desperate then ever. She saw no sign of the Chosen Child of Hope. However, her thoughts wandered while running past the flower field. 'I remember that field. Of all places, I wouldn't think that Takeru would want to come back here. Why would he come back here, the place where all the hurt began?'

'Um—So what is it that you wanted, Takeru?' Hikari asked innocently, looking around. She and Takeru were currently alone in the wild-flower field beside Primary Village. The field had the smell of sweet roses and daisies, the air crisp and fresh; and the area around them, Hikari noted privately to herself, seemed awkwardly quiet.

Takeru took a deep breath. He looked at Hikari with deep sincerity and kindness, a look Taichi possessed when he had something extremely important to say. Hikari realized that her friend had something of utmost importance to tell her that he did not want others to know, especially if Takeru had made her come all the way into this isolated area. 'What could be so important that Takeru would want no one but me to hear?'

'Hikari, I—I don't know how long I've—I don't know exactly for how long I've felt this way about you, but—'

Hikari felt fear strike her heart. A wave of sudden shock crawled down her spine. Takeru could not—He could not possibly be feeling like that for—it just was not like Takeru to—Hikari's mind whirled with confused thoughts. 'Please, don't say that Takeru—'

'What are you saying, Takeru?' Hikari asked.

Her voice seemed a little afraid. She was scared of what Takeru was going to say. And if it was what she thought, Hikari could not bear the thought of what her reply would be. 'Please, Takeru—please say anything but that; please say anything, anything at all.'

'Hikari, ever since I had gotten to know you when we were young, I've held this—I've had this feeling locked away in my heart. I've always felt this way about you, but I was too young to understand my feelings. Hikari, I—I don't know how to say this right, but—but I—Hikari, I—I love you."

Hikari, dumbstruck, stared at Takeru. He stared back at her, gentleness, sincerity, and kindness all in his eyes. 'No, Takeru! Why, Takeru—why did it have to be love?' Hikari licked her dry lips, trying to find the right words to say. She needed to say the right thing, or else everything she had ever shared with Takeru, their memories, their time, their love, would all disappear. 'Takeru—'

'I know that you might not feel the same. Hikari, I just had to tell you how I felt about you. I couldn't stand having my feelings locked away for you any longer!' Takeru cried out gently, his voice full of anxiety.

Hikari grew more and more nervous by the minute. How could she tell Takeru how SHE felt without hurting him? Could Takeru ever understand how she looked at him? 'I'm sorry, Takeru, that you've pained because of me. I'm even sorrier that your pain was all in vain.'

Hikari winced at the hurt look Takeru gave her. The sadness within his beautiful, tearful cerulean eyes killed her fragile heart. 'Damn you, Yagami Hikari! You said the exact words you weren't supposed to say! Now, it's gone! Everything you ever had with Takeru is now gone! It's all stained by your horrid words!' The two Children just stared at each other for a long moment, the only sounds made by either of them their blinking eyelashes.

After twenty more seconds of the awkward silence, Takeru finally broke it and spoke. "It's because of Daisuke, isn't it?" he asked sadly, looking away from her.

Hikari gasped, slightly horrified. Did Takeru really feel that way? Did he think that she loved Daisuke more than him? 'Oh, Takeru, if only you could understand,' she screamed in her head. 'Daisuke could never, never win over you in my heart.'

'Takeru, I—I never—'

'It's all right, Hikari. I can understand the reason why you would choose Daisuke instead of me.' Hikari bit her lip, frightened of how this conversation was going to end; in her heart, Hikari knew that it was not going to end well; one way or another, Hikari was going to lose Takeru. She had now destroyed one of the most important things in her life.

'Takeru, I'm sorry that you think like that. I'm sorry that you're hurt and all because I don't feel the same about you, but—but you have understand, Takeru, I don't like Daisuke more than—'

'No, you have nothing to apologize about. It's my fault.' Takeru whispered softly, his voice near emotionless. Both words and voice cut at Hikari like knives. She hated it so much to see Takeru, her Takeru like this.

'Takeru—'

'I have to go now. I'll call you later,' Takeru solemnly said, running off. Hikari tried to grab him, but she was too slow. Takeru's deer-speed like abilities gave him the advantage. Hikari cursed Takeru's legs and their power of speed.

'Takeru! Wait! Don't go!' Hikari yelled after him. But it was too late. Takeru was already gone. Hikari now stood alone in the field of fiery- looking, blooming flowers; she stood there alone—alone. 'I'm alone now. I'm alone.'

A tear rolled down Hikari's cheek as that thought processed through her mind. Hikari felt like the vilest person in world right then. 'I guess I'll just have to wait for his call,' Hikari sighed sadly as she left the flower field.

Takeru never called her.

She cried as she remembered the past. Hikari's mind felt so confused, and her heart was in turmoil. She had been lying to herself for the past few months, denying everything she knew was true; she had been denying the truth of how she felt for Takeru. Hikari had denied Takeru and the right to his heart. 'How could I have hurt him like that? I was supposed to be his friend, but instead, I turned away from him! I'm such an idiot!'

Hikari could feel the rage taking over her body, every muscle tensed and strained. Strength seemed to be leaving her, just like how Hikari had abandoned Takeru months ago. 'Why?' Hikari demanded from herself, 'Why did I do it? Why did I hurt Takeru?'

'Was it wrong to say how you truly felt?' a voice asked within Hikari's mind. Her heart went cold, her thought freezing at the horrid question. Hikari shut her eyes angrily, hot tears flying from her eyes.

"But that wasn't—that isn't how I feel about Takeru!" she yelled out in reply. Her voice echoed out into the open air, allowing Hikari to hear her reply over and over again. Tears now had begun to flow freely down Hikari's cheeks.

'Oh, but isn't it? Was there ever a time where you thought of him more than a friend? Admit, Hikari. You know that you were like Sora towards Taichi saw and felt nothing more but friendship. All you ever really saw him as was a friend.' Hikari clamped her hands over her ears. She did not want to listen to the horrid, evil little voice in her head any more.

Hikari wanted to block out the voice in her mind. And she would. With sheer will power, she would silence the doubting voice. "I love Takeru! I LOVE TAKAISHI TAKERU! I love Takeru, and I will find him and tell him the truth! I'M GOING TO FIND TAKERU!"

Chills began to tingle down her spine, an Evil feeling squirming its way into Yagami Hikari's heart. Something was terribly wrong; Hikari could feel it with her very being. Her whole body screamed that she should not be there at the moment. "I pity you, child. All in vain you have wasted your precious energy. You won't find him here, Child of Light. The Child of Hope is long gone," an icy, sinister voice chuckled. Hikari turned around, and saw someone she feared most; her face paled to a deadly white.

"Vamdemon!" The vampire monster smiled at the fear in the Child of Light's voice. It was a reward all to itself; there was nothing else in all of Reality that could please Vamdemon more.

"Well, it's comforting that you remember me, Little One. I am deeply touched by you, Keeper of Light," Vamdemon said, chuckling a little and taking mocking a bow. How he enjoyed invoking fear in the girl's heart.

"Don't be flattered!" Hikari snapped harshly, wiping away her tears to never allow Vamdemon see her cry. The last time he had, Hikari was crying over the loss of Wizardmon, and she was not going to show the vile, vampire Digimon anymore of her weaknesses. Hikari hated it when Vamdemon toyed with her like this, and she hated his laugh most of all. It was all just a cruel game Vamdemon played with his victims, and Hikari was NOT going to allow to be treated as such.

"Well, enough with this conversation. With no one around, and without your little fur-ball friend and the other Chosen Children, you're helpless. You, my pretty, are all mine!" Vamdemon lunged for Hikari, his dark midnight cape spreading out like deadly bat-wings. Hikari dodged the vampire Digimon's assault and began to run for dear life.

"Come back, my lovely one! Do you not wish to play with me?" Vamdemon taunted as he flew after Hikari. She ran, knowing that it would be very horrid if she were caught; Hell itself would be better than to be caught by Vamdemon. Hikari ran and ran with all her might until she made it to the edge of the Dark Forest.

Hikari halted right then and there. She did not take a step more or else she would have crossed into the forest. The Dark Forest did not exist back then when the Chosen Children had rescued File Island, but the Dark Forest was a seed of the Dark Masters. Only the Darkest and most vile of Digimon would dare enter there, and hardly any of those Digimon came back out again; a human, even if she were a Chosen Child, would not be able survive within the forest without her Digimon to help.

"Trapped like a mouse, are you, my pretty?" Vamdemon teased, brushing a cold hand past the young lady's cheek. Hikari, flinching, felt her blood freeze into solid ice at the Evil touch. Hikari glared back at him as she stepped away from his horrid, bloodstained hands.

"Now, it's time to take those powers of yours," the Evil Digimon cooed. Vamdemon grabbed Hikari's neck, and slowly began to squeeze the life out of her. Hikari felt her life slipping away, year by year, and all the agony that came with it. Vamdemon bared his fang teeth, barely able to resist the urge of sinking his teeth into soft, female human flesh.

"You can scream if you wish," Vamdemon cackled while readying to bite Hikari's neck. "No one will be able to hear you!" His cold, sinister laughter increased while his fangs neared her flesh. "HAHA! YOU ARE ALL MINE! MWAHA—" Suddenly, Vamdemon's grip on Hikari's throat was released. Hikari fell into a lifeless heap as the Ultimate Digimon dropped her to the ground.

"Hikari, run!"

A clear, bold, angelic voice yelled out at Hikari deep within her mind. "Run, Hikari! Run!"

"Takeru?" Hikari groaned, scarcely recognizing the sweet voice. "Takeru?"

"Hikari, run! Run away from here!" It took Hikari a minute to regain consciousness and her sight, and when she did, what she saw surprised her.

"Takeru!"

"Hikari, run! Run away from here and don't look back!" Takeru ordered, his blue eyes watching Vamdemon carefully. Takeru stood protectively in front of Hikari, with BlackTailmon standing in front of him. Hikari was dumbstruck at the sight of Takeru and was unable to move.

"Don't you dare try touching Hikari again, Vandemon!" Takeru warned. "If you do, I swear that you WILL regret it!" He glared angrily at the evil Digimon. Takeru could feel the deep hatred he had for Darkness swell, ready to burst from his soul. BlackTailmon, like her master, glared with an equal amount of fury at Vamdemon.

Vamdemon reared back at the glare from BlackTailmon. He seemed terrified of it; her bright, green eyes seeped into Vamdemon's mind like deadly poison. "Those eyes. You have those same eyes as—"

"Why did you come back to this World, Vamdemon? Why can't you find peace dead? Isn't it enough to have lived three times?" Takeru yelled out angrily. His blonde, now shining golden hair stood up in disarray, Takeru's blue eyes nesting a fiery light within the cerulean orbs. A smile began to spread across the vampire's mouth at the thought of the question.

Vamdemon laughed. "Ha! That is the question, isn't it? Why won't I stay dead? Was I restless or maybe I felt like that I had not completed my goal in life? Maybe I'm like you humans and want a second chance, or maybe it's my Digimon instincts? Well, I'll tell you, Chosen Child of Hope. I have a contract to keep with the Child of Courage, and I'm not going to rest until it is fulfilled. Until he completes his end of the bargain, I'm not going to keep mine."

"Taichi? What does Taichi have anything to do with this?" Takeru demanded. Vamdemon was really picking the wrong nerve with Takeru by bringing in his friends into their fight. 'That vile creature—He's always hiding behind others to win the fight for him. I forgot that cowardice was his specialty.'

"He has everything to do with this, Child of Hope. Everything," Vamdemon chuckled; but soon that chuckle turned into a quiet laugh, then a louder one, then louder, after that louder, and the laughter continued to grow louder until it reached the peak as an insane cackle. Hikari stepped back in fear, and Takeru grew more protective of the young lady. This was going to be a long, gruesome battle.

-


	13. Bind 13: Revelation II

-

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 13: Revelation II **

-

"Crimson Lightning!" Vamdemon yelled out, letting loose his horrid lighting whip. As the blood red attack rushed towards the two Chosen Children, Takeru quickly pushed Hikari out of the way, barely dodging it himself. With the girl in his arms, Takeru twisted around and received the greater damage, acting like a cushion for the girl.

'Please, be safe!'

After the attack passed and the dust settled, Takeru quickly stood up on his feet and glanced at BlackTailmon beside him. Bringing out his digivice, the young man yelled out, "BlackTailmon! Let's do it!"

As an immediate response, the black Digimon gave Takeru a nod and prepared herself to evolve.

"BlackTailmon, evolve! Angewomon!"

As soon as the transformation completed, the angelic monster prepared her self for an attack. Summoning her bow and arrows, the angel cried out, "Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon shot three of her bright, deadly celestial arrows at once. Vamdemon dodged all three arrows by jumping from the ground and flying into the air. Disappointed her attacks did not hit, Angewomon quickly followed the vampire into the sky. Her angelic, white wings shed snow white feathers as she pushed air beneath them.

"Are you okay, Hikari?" Takeru asked, quickly turning to her. He helped her stand, dusting her off as well. He quickly did check-ups on Hikari, just to be sure that no damage was inflicted upon his friend. But Hikari did not pay any attention to those check-ups. Her ruby eyes just kept locked upon the young, handsome boy in front of her. She looked at Takeru, relieved that she had finally found her friend.

"I was so worried about you, Takeru!" she cried out while pulling him into an embrace. Surprised, Takeru held on to Hikari to prevent them from falling. "When Yamato called Taichi and me saying that you were alive, I didn't know what to think. I couldn't believe that you were—" Hikari buried her face into Takeru's shirt, holding him so she would not collapse onto the ground a second time. She promised herself that she would not let go; she would never let go of Takeru ever again.

"I'm sorry, Hikari. I'm sorry I made you so worried, making you worry about me." Takeru's voice whispered gently, the young man pulling Hikari closer to him. How he cherished the feeling of her form against his. He tenderly kissed her forehead and closed his eyes while taking in her scent. Why was she so precious to him? "It must have been very difficult for you. I'm sorry."

His kind voice soothed Hikari to her very last bone; she felt like she could live in this moment forever. Hikari's heart felt better than it ever had for the past few months. "I'm just glad you're still alive," Hikari sighed, inhaling Takeru's saccharine smell. She could smell sunflowers, the grassy fields, and all the happiness a child could ever possess: everything which was Takaishi Takeru. 'Don't ever leave me,' she thought earnestly. 'Please never leave me again, Takeru.'

Takeru brought his friend even closer to him, cooing and cradling the frail girl in his arms. Why? Why did the strongest girl he knew feel so weak in his arms? "Hikari, I have to apologize again to you." Hikari looked up to stare at two crystal blue eyes; the sadness, the kindness, the regret in Takeru's eyes made her want to cry. He solemnly continued, "The way I've been acting for the past few months is unforgivable. I was supposed to be your friend, but instead, I became your enemy. I should have understood your feelings."

Tears welled up in Hikari's eyes. Why did Takeru have to always be so good to her? Why did he always have to be so kind when she had been so cruel in turn? "Takeru—"

Takeru put a finger over Hikari's lips, the young man silencing her immediately. "I don't want you to argue with me, Hikari. Just remember that—" Then a blast suddenly cut Takeru short, another huge explosion causing dust to fill the air. The blonde boy quickly pulled Hikari close to him, covering her from the shower of dust and pebbles. BlackTailmon landed with a hard thump beside Hikari and Takeru.

"BlackTailmon, are you all right?" Takeru demanded. He quickly went to the small Digimon's side, checking her. Behind him, Hikari watched fearfully, hoping for the monster's safety. As Takeru discovered through examination, BlackTailmon was unconscious but all right. He sighed in relief when he realized this.

'You're safe,' he thought in relief.

"Now, it is your turn, Chosen Children," Vamdemon chuckled evilly, coming up from behind them, "You have nothing left to protect you now." After waiting so many years, so many struggles and battles, Vamdemon would finally accomplish his most yearned desire: take the life of a Child and his powers.

Takeru quickly, but gently handed BlackTailmon to Hikari. He put his hands upon Hikari's shoulder, making her look into his stern eyes. "Take care of her for me, Hikari," Takeru whispered firmly. There was a care and kindness in his voice Hikari had never heard from Takeru before; and although she cherished them, she feared what they meant coming from her friend. Hikari immediately took the BlackTailmon from Takeru, but she could not help to wonder what Takaishi desired to do.

"Takeru, what are you—" Takeru again silenced Hikari, using his finger to quiet her lips once more.

"Hikari, I need you to stay behind me," he ordered quietly. His voice had dropped in volumes, and the young lady had almost missed his words. She sensed Takeru's fear, but his courage stood up against everything. "What ever you do, just stay behind me—you understand?" Takeru demanded. His blue eyes searching her ruby orbs, the young man gazed into her face for an honest answer. Mesmerized by his intensity, Hikari dumbly nodded her head at the Child of Hope.

After he was sure that Hikari understood, Takeru then walked forward, standing in between Hikari and Vamdemon. "It's going to take more than the likes of you to bring us down!" Takeru boldly yelled out, glaring defiantly at Vamdemon. "The Darkness will never claim any of us as its own! We will never surrender to the Darkness! Never!" He spread his arms out protectively in front of Hikari and BlackTailmon. Takeru stood firm; he had no intention from moving from his spot. Until the Universe's end, Takeru would stand there to protect Hikari.

The younger Yagami could sense so much strength and power radiating from Takeru as he glared at the evil Digimon. 'You've always been so strong and brave,' Hikari cried silently. 'From the days where we were only kids to now, you've always protected me.' Memories flashed through her mind, reminding her of all the times she had spent with her friend and of all the feelings they now shared. Closing her scarlet pools, Hikari allowed tears to stream down her face. 'Thank you, Takeru—thank you for loving me for so long.'

Vamdemon venomously glared back at Takeru's audacity: the Child of Hope never did surrender. But seeing he had the upper hand, the monster permitted an evil smirk to grow on his twisted face. "You foolish Chosen Child! It is the end for you!" he laughed manically. "Prepare to meet your maker!"

Immediately Vamdemon prepared to attack, but regardless, Takeru stood strong, never flinching. He would not move, not as long as Hikari and BlackTailmon remained behind him; they were his strength, and Takeru needed nothing more. Against the odds, he would protect them with all he had.

Slowly but surely the attack came, and every passing second forever lodged itself into Hikari's heart. She realized reality too late. "Crimson Lightning!"

"Takeru! No! Don't do it, Takeru!" Hikari tried to pull the young man away, but she was too slow; she was too far behind Takeru to reach him. She watched in horror as Takeru stood still; he was calm, no fear reflected in his countenance at all. To Hikari, everything happened in slow motion; it was a long, endless torture Hikari was being forced to endure. Takeru stood in front of Hikari and BlackTailmon as the attack came.

The deep-red attack was about to strike Takeru until a flash of gold light surrounded him and Vamdemon. Hikari was blinded by the light, catching a small glimpse of Takeru's silhouette in front of her as she cradled BlackTailmon.

'Takeru,' Hikari cried, 'Oh, please, Takeru—please, don't leave me again—please be all right, Takeru!'

-


	14. Bind 14: Revelation III

-

**Author's Note: **End of third arc.  
This was probably the most difficult chapter to edit thus far because of all of the dramatic elements. I did my best to improve the writing while trying to keep the elements from the older version the same. Alas, not all of the cheesiness could be removed, so please bear with me. If there are any mistakes, please inform me in a review. Thank you.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 14: Revelation III**

-

Slowly but surely the attack came, and every passing second forever lodged itself into Hikari's heart. She realized reality too late. "Crimson Lightning!"

"Takeru! No! Don't do it, Takeru!!" Hikari tried to pull the young man away, but she was too slow; she was too far behind Takeru to reach him. She watched in horror as Takeru stood still; he was calm, no fear reflected in his countenance at all. To Hikari, everything happened in slow motion; it was a long, endless torture Hikari was being forced to endure. Takeru stood in front of Hikari and BlackTailmon as the attack came.

The deep-red attack was about to strike Takeru until a flash of gold light surrounded him and Vamdemon. Hikari was blinded by the light, catching a small glimpse of Takeru's silhouette in front of her as she cradled BlackTailmon.

'Takeru,' Hikari cried, 'Oh, please, Takeru—please, don't leave me again—please be all right, Takeru!'

-

'Yamato…'

A chill raced down his spine, leaving a dreadful, dark feeling lurking in his heart. Someone had just called out his name—and at the same moment, someone had just been ripped away from his circle of reality. Instinctively, he knew that some part of him had disappeared. 'What happened? Could it—could it be Takeru?'

Sora stared at him and his sudden strange behavior. Without warning or reason, Yamato had just paled and began shaking. "Yamato, what's wrong?" she asked urgently. Her expression full of concern; she put a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently in assurance. Whatever the matter was, Yamato trembled from it; he shivered and shook; cold sweat could be seen dripping down his face. When she placed his hand on her cheek, she held back a gasp from the coldness.

The other Chosen Children stared at Yamato, their own hearts uneasy because of his strained expression; the older Children were the most frightened. Their numerous adventures proved Yamato's amazing ability to maintain a poker face, no matter what the situation. Seeing him suddenly react without cause, they grew nervous by the second.

Taichi felt especially concerned about his friend's sudden change. Had Yamato felt it too? 'Did he sense the change?'

"I-I feel as if—" A tear trickled down his face as he struggled to speak. "I feel as if I just lost a part myself, as if my heart was just ripped out my chest," Yamato barely gasped, his breaths short and quick. He clutched his chest in vain hopes to relieve the pain. "I don't know why, but I feel as if someone just stole a part of me."

Listening to his pained words, the Chosen Children looked to one another for understanding. No one understood any longer what had passed other than the situation progressively grew worse as time went on. First Takeru had disappeared; then Hikari vanished not long afterward; and some moments earlier, Taichi had acted peculiar; and now Yamato had a reaction to something no one comprehended.

Thinking of all the possible reasons behind Yamato's actions, Taichi tried to figure the specific cause when—"I feel it—I feel the pain, the suffering, the—hope?" He inhaled quickly. A sharp pain raced through his body, an indicator that the universe had lost balance: someone had just left the Digital World, Digimon or Human.

Taking Yamato's reaction into account, the brunette knew who.

"Takeru…" Taichi stared up at the stars, a stern, angry look etched across his face. His brown eyes became emotionless as Darkness took over. The delicate balance now ruined, Darkness crossed into the Light and spread like black ink in water: he could see it clearly. 'Takeru, I'm sorry I couldn't stop him—I'm sorry, Takeru, that he attacked you and Hikari. Forgive me, Takeru. Forgive me.'

From his seat, Yamato stared at Taichi. The Child of Friendship knew that his friend had felt the same pain, the sudden chill that had surged through his body before; he had seen Taichi wince in pain and quickly disguise it. 'You have that blank look in your eyes again, Taichi. What are you thinking? What happened? Why won't you share with the others?' Knowing that his questions would not be answered, Yamato stared out the window as the bus continued its journey. 'Takeru…'

-

Light, smoke, and a dreadful cry filled the air; the painful, piercing scream frightened Hikari to near death. When the light and smoke had faded, she and BlackTailmon were alone; they stood alone in a desolate, grey place.

"Takeru," she whispered fearfully. She gazed at the area all around her, but she could not spot her friend anywhere. In immediate reaction, she began to panic. Oh, why did she ever let Takeru do that? Why did she hide behind him when he tried to protect her? 'Takeru, why am I such a coward?! Why can't I ever be brave like you or Taichi? Why don't I have the courage…?'

"Lord Takeru?" BlackTailmon groaned, waking from her unconsciousness. Hikari looked at the weakened Digimon in her arms. As she did, the human girl felt a sadness overwhelming her. BlackTailmon had no partner now; she was alone, like Hikari. Her heart felt for the cat, knowing that this Digimon's past would probably not be all too different from Tailmon's lonely history. The Chosen Child watched sadly as BlackTailmon looked around and found that she could not find Takeru. "Lord Takeru? Where are you?"

Wanting to hope like BlackTailmon, Hikari called out for him as well. "Takeru!" she shouted, her voice wavering from her compounding feelings. She could not believe what had happened; she could not believe it and would not accept it.

But the truth remained: she had lost her best friend, her love for the second time.

"H-H-Hikari…" Wandering through the battleground, she found Takeru lying on the ground behind upturned rocks. His body looked so frail and helpless, yet his blue eyes retained a strong and determined gaze. Hikari felt drawn towards his eyes, his beautiful, loving cerulean eyes.

"Takeru!" she cried, her tears blurring her vision. She and BlackTailmon quickly ran to his side. "Takeru, are you okay?" She tried to stop her tears from dripping onto his face, but her tears had no end and continued relentlessly. As she gently lifted Takeru's head into her lap, he smiled weakly at her, slightly coughing and gasping for air.

"I'm fine, Hikari—Don't worry about me. I'm just fine," he whispered softly. Hearing his weak assurance, she trembled. Fear, sadness, and happiness bombarded her simultaneously. She could not handle the sudden rush of emotions.

"You're a bad liar, Takeru, and you always will be," she sniffled while wiping dust from his radiant face. "You call this fine? You can barely breathe—you're in pain. That isn't fine at all." With a controlled inhale and quivering body, Hikari rested her head against Takeru's. "You're not okay at all." Takeru embraced her with a smile, brushing the back of her head.

"No, I'm really fine, Hikari. My heart doesn't feel troubled anymore. I'm not scared or mad anymore, Hikari." What a fool he was to ever feel fear or anger whenever she was concerned. How much trouble had he given her because of his mistakes, his weakness? Why had he gone back on his word, to always protect her? Why had he doubted her? "I'm sorry, Hikari, for causing you so much pain," Takeru apologized into her ear.

Hikari stared sadly at him and shook her head in response. "No, I should be the one who's sorry, Takeru. If I hadn't lied to myself in the first place, none of this would have happened." Hikari buried her face deeper against Takeru.

"I'm so sorry, Takeru. I'm so sorry," she whispered repetitively, her voice muffled by Takeru's shirt. She said the words sincerely and as feverishly as if a prayer. If only saying so would reverse everything! If only feeling so would turn back time!

Takeru's hand continued to brush her head. "I didn't know your hair was so soft, Hikari," he whispered sleepily into the girl's ear. He lied, of course; sometimes when she fell asleep next to him during their adventures, he would steal a brush of her soft, dark hair. If he could not touch, then he wafted her shampoo's sweet smell. In ways, he was worse than Daisuke when it came to her.

She blushed and smiled at the blond boy; he had been and was always there for her, no matter what the circumstance. "Well, you never really took the time to pet me," Hikari teased, brushing a few blonde strands away from Takeru's eyes. He smiled weakly at Hikari; she felt deeply reminded of Taichi and Yamato's strength. Naturally, he had his older brother's independence and strength to stand up against anything. But then Takeru also held people together and guided them, just like her old brother.

Takeru then began to cough roughly and Hikari paled with worry.

"Takeru, please, just hold. Just hold on. Help will come soon," she whispered, her eyes betraying her; she and Takeru both knew that the others would not be able to come, not in time anyways. The nearest gate that would allow the others to enter the Digital World was too far from his house. They would take time travelling and opening the gate.

Takeru smiled wryly, his blonde locks that Hikari had just brushed away shadowing his blue eyes once more. He felt his body losing strength and knew he did not have much more time. "Don't worry, Hikari. Even if I go everything will be—"

"No! It won't be all right! It won't! Nothing will be fine if you leave! I won't lose you a third time, Takeru!" Hikari yelled out, holding him tightly.

Takeru smiled sadly. "Hikari—"

"Takeru, I thought I lost you—I thought you had died at the base. I didn't see you get out, and I was so scared. I didn't want to believe that you were gone," Hikari cried. "And I wish it were like last time, where I didn't know so I could keep on believing. I-I can't—I won't be able to take it if you leave me, Takeru."

He wiped away Hikari's tears as best as he could in his weakened state. "Please don't cry for me, Hikari. I'm not worth crying over—"

Hikari silenced Takeru by kissing him; she would no longer stand to be the one silenced. Takeru, at first shocked by the sudden action, delved deeper into the kiss once he felt Hikari's security. He pulled her closer to himself. The two stayed in that position for a while as they enjoyed each other's warmth and peace.

Takeru suddenly felt his mind fading away; he broke their enchanting kiss. "Hikari, please remember that I will always love you. Remember that forever I'll be here right beside you, Hikari," Takeru whispered.

Hikari then felt something pushed into the palm of her hand: two things, to be precise. "Keep them, Hikari. Let them protect you in my place. Keep them and remember me. "

Hikari looked into her hand and gasped. Takeru was giving her his Digivice and Crest. He was giving her his beautiful Crest of Hope. Hikari felt a harsh tug on her heart; it was getting hard for her to swallow. "Take them and remember me, Hikari. Take these and remember our hope, our promise. Remember our friendship."

Hikari nodded slowly, afraid of losing her best friend once more. Takeru kissed Hikari one last time before he finally faded away. "I love you, Hikari," Takeru whispered into Hikari's ear, "You're my best friend in all of the Worlds."

When he closed his eyes a final time, she dipped her head and kissed him on his forehead, his eyelids, his cheeks, and then his lips. "And I love you too, Takeru," Hikari replied brokenly into Takeru's ear.

-

He anxiously bounced his legs, wondering if the bus could drive any faster. While staring outside of the window, Yamato thought about what had happened earlier. He knew instinctively something had happened to his little brother; however, he did not know what. Unfortunately, Yamato guessed that the nature of the event was bad. Takeru was hurt, captured, or even—

Yamato felt another chill run down his spine, his body losing all sense of warmth and happiness. "Good bye, Yamato…Good bye, Big Brother." A tear rolled down his cheek; a warm tear full of love and compassion dripped from his icy blue eyes and down the Child of Friendship's face.

"Takeru…" Tears began to flow freely, Yamato no longer able to contain his emotions. All feelings related to sorrow rushed at him and made him pay his dues in tears. "TAKERU!"

-

After their exchange of words, Takeru's body grew limp in Hikari's arms, and his heart beat had stopped. All sound disappeared and grew still as if in observance to their lost love. Hikari simply gazed at him with a blank face, unsure of how she should feel right then. BlackTailmon and her watched silently as Takeru's body began to digitalize and disappear. Hikari's eyes never left her beloved's body as it slowly deleted like data and disappeared into the wind.

In only a few minutes, the Child of Hope was gone.

Takeru was gone.

-


	15. Bind 15: Return

-

**Author Note:**Beginning of fourth arc.  
This chapter was much easier to edit than the last one—I guess my writing style for the story is finally becoming closer to what it is now. Now only two chapters remain for me to edit. I hope you enjoy.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 15: Return**

-

"Yamato, slow down! You're running too fast!" Jyou yelled, huffing from behind. He pushed himself to continue. "You're going to hurt yourself if you don't slow down! Yamato!" The dark haired man tried his best to keep his glasses on as he ran after his friend. Jyou prayed that Yamato would not trip over one of the monstrous tree roots; it would be disastrous of he did with the speed he was running at.

"Yamato, wait! Wait for us!" Mimi yelled after Jyou, trying her best to keep up with the others in her shoes. She groaned while forcing herself to keep pace; her feet were beginning to ache from running in knee-high boots.

"Yamato! WAIT!"

Ishida Yamato ignored his friends' cries and pleas as he ran as fast as he could towards Primary Village. Before anything, he had to find Takeru. Takeru—his little brother was in Primary Village—the Village—'Takeru has to be there, at the Village.'

He did not know why he was running towards Primary Village; he did not have the faintest clue as to why he picked that place from all the others. But something inside of him told him it was the right place to run to. A voice inside him told him that the Village was where he would find the answer to the uneasy feelings inside him.

"Yamato!"

He once more ignored the voice that called after him. His friends' voices began to fade as Yamato left them behind. They were no longer important to him; nothing was important anymore; Takeru was his only priority now—

BAM!

Yamato flew to the side, his back hitting harshly against a tree. The Ishida fell to the ground, kissing the bitter-sweet digital grass. "Yamato! Would you PLEASE listen to me NOW?!" Taichi angrily yelled with his fists clenched at his side.

Yamato lied on the ground, stunned. He had been so busy in his own thoughts that he had not noticed how Taichi had easily caught up with him. Further more, the Leader of the Children had punched the Child of Friendship with full force. The blonde youth gently put his hand on the tender mark on his face, the young man fazed. Checking his mouth for bleeding and massaging the oncoming bruise, Yamato sat up against the tree.

"I'm listening now, Taichi," he growled, looking away from the Child of Courage. Taichi was slowing him down, preventing him from reaching Takeru. Could he not see that he's in the way? 'I need to get to Takeru right now!' he screamed in his mind.

Taichi sighed tiredly; finally he was getting SOMEWHERE with his friend. "I know, Yamato, I know how mad and desperate you are to find Takeru—I understand your sorrow—I know how you feel. You hurt inside," Yagami softly reasoned. However, his eyes grew dark and he clenched his fists at his side. "But that DOES NOT mean YOU can go off by YOURSELF and drag the OTHERS with you! You're hurting the team, Yamato, if you do things on your own; you're hurting yourself! Next time, before you go on a wild, mad dash, think about everyone else first!" He scowled at his friend.

'If you don't, you'll make history repeat itself!'

A tear rolled down Yamato's burning right cheek. 'Typical,' he angrily spat in his thoughts. Taichi did not understand one bit; like always, his friend had never understood his feelings at all. "But I am thinking of everyone else, Taichi. I'm thinking about Takeru."

"No, Yamato," Taichi replied calmly, shaking his head sadly. His steam gone, he could now only regard his friend with sympathy. "You aren't. You're only thinking of yourself, of your hurt. If you were thinking of everyone, you would have realized when you started thinking of yourself instead of the others." He offered his hand to Yamato, trying to help lift the teen up.

"Now, get up. We can't do a mad dash, but we sure as hell can run fast; but this time, it's all of us, not just one," Taichi said gently. The blond man stared up at Taichi and took his hand. Yamato nodded in agreement.

-

Wind whistled across the trees, giving the forest clearing a ghastly atmosphere. BlackTailmon huddled beside Hikari, icy shivers running down her small limbs and spine. The Chosen Child just sat there, staring at the spot where Takeru had once laid in her arms. "Takeru," she whispered listlessly, "he was here—he was here just two minutes ago."

Desolate tears began to pour down Hikari's cheeks, leaving clean, wet trails across her dusty face. "Takeru—Takeru—my Takeru…" She whispered his name while the crystal-clear tears fell down her cheek. "Why did it have to be you? Why did you have to leave? Why was it you?"

Right then the other Children appeared at the edge of the battle-stricken clearing. Death and carnage were in the air, and the silence that blew through the clearing was bone-chilling. Taichi ran to his little sister, whom was kneeling on the ground in the center of the macabre sight. "Are you okay?" he earnestly demanded, embracing the brunette girl.

Hikari broke down into tears, her already-weak body able to take no more. She wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, trying to find comfort in his body warmth. 'I can't believe he's gone,' she cried in her mind.

Taichi looked sadly at Hikari, seeing Takeru's tag and crest in one of her hands and his digivice in the other. He understood now what had happened. He now understood what had happened to the Child of Hope during his and Hikari's battle against the evil who had returned. "Hikari," Taichi quietly whispered, holding his younger sister even closer to him. He began to pet her gently.

She cried into his shoulder, her heart reaching its limit. She felt so empty inside so it seemed fit to cry and empty herself of all the tears she would ever shed. "He's gone, Taichi!" She sobbed between breaths, "Takeru sacrificed himself to save me from Vamdemon! He wanted to save me."

Hikari buried her face deeper into Taichi's jacket, completely soaking it with her bitter tears. Her older brother, while gently cooing and patting her, felt his heart swell with hate for the disgusting monster that had dared to harm his baby sister. If there was anything Yagami Taichi wanted to do, he wanted to completely annihilate the sickening scum that had dared to even think of harming a hair on his baby sister.

"Don't worry, Hikari. Everything—everything will get better. As time passes, everything will get better, Hikari, so don't worry. Everything will get better eventually, you'll see," Taichi gently whispered, his voice shaking; he was trying to hold his tears back as well, but to no avail. He sighed in hopelessness, knowing nothing would ever be the same again.

Yamato, who stood still right in the middle of the clearing, was utterly dumbfounded. His icy cerulean eyes reflected hot, unshed tears, and his facial expression was one of complete fury. He did not know who had done this horrendous act, but they would pay. Because of them, Takeru was gone. Because of them, his brother, his little brother, Takeru, was gone.

He was gone.

-

Two Months Later

With extremely heavy hearts, the Yagami's, Ishida's, Takenuchi's, and Mrs. Takaishi entered solemnly the Takaishi apartment. They all had just returned from Takeru's funeral, which everyone who had known Takaishi Takeru had attended. Sadly since there was no body, Takeru's family had decided that they would hold the funeral when Takeru's friends were able to stomach the shock. Many people grieved that the boy had suddenly died with so much of his future ahead of him.

"He was a good boy," everyone said.

"He made others happy, and everyone liked him. He had so many friends."

"His family is really nice—such a caring older brother."

"And his mother and father—they really loved their baby."

"He really liked Hikari."

"He loved her."

Mr. Ishida led Mrs. Takaishi into her home with a firm arm around her shoulders; Sora tried her best to lift Yamato's desolate mood; Mr. Yagami, Mrs. Yagami, and Mrs. Takenuchi very quietly discussed what should be done; Taichi, with a dark face, quietly and respectfully followed his parents into the home; Hikari said not a word as she entered the home behind all the others.

It had become apparent that Hikari's pain would be the most uneasily appeased.

Mrs. Yagami began quietly, "Mrs. Takaishi, if there is anything that you need—"

"You can just ask us," Mrs. Takenuchi finished gently. The two mothers put comforting arms around Mrs. Takaishi, giving her arms gentle squeezes of reassurance. Although they could not fathom her present pain, they could imagine as mothers and thus greatly sympathized for her.

Mrs. Takaishi tear-stained face looked up to the others. "Thank you. Thank you for all your help."

"I'll go and make some tea," Mrs. Takenuchi whispered, heading to the small kitchen. Mrs. Yagami stayed with Mrs. Takaishi, the two trying their best to brighten the air around them.

"I remember Takeru would always be such a gentleman when he was at our house," Mrs. Yagami sighed sadly. "I remember he would always bring smiles wherever he went. Takeru always brought a smile to Hikari's face. She would smile all day when she heard that he was coming over. He was such a happy boy."

"How are you holding?" Mr. Yagami quietly asked Mr. Ishida. With a worried glance, Mr. Yagami placed a firm hand onto Mr. Ishida's shoulder. The middle-aged man looked gravely at Mr. Yagami.

"I feel like the worst father in the world right now. I wish that I had spent a lot more time with Takeru." The man sighed tiredly while running a hand through his hair. "I wish now that I could have been a better father to him."

Taichi, who sat alone on the couch, listened to the fathers' conversation from afar. He furrowed his brows at what he heard. 'Why is everyone being so depressed? Doesn't anyone understand that if they don't snap out of this depression right now, they'll never escape it?' Rising from his seat, the young man murmured, "Don't say that."

Mr. Yagami and Mr. Ishida turned and saw Taichi, who had just walked up behind them while glaring at Takeru's father. The young man continued, "Don't you dare say that, Mr. Ishida. Don't say that you've been a bad father."

"But I have been a bad father." He put his face in his hand and tried to control the waver in his voice. "I leave Yamato alone constantly, and I barely talked to Takeru—"

Taichi quickly cut Mr. Ishida off before he could continue. "No, you're wrong! You were not a bad father to Takeru, and you are not a bad father to Yamato! Living on regrets and lies will do you no good," he coldly barked. Everyone in the room turned and stared, Hikari being the exception. She quietly stole away into Takeru's room, silently closing the door behind her.

"Taichi." Sora whispered softly.

"Doesn't anyone see that we're hurting ourselves by putting ourselves down? We're dying on our own because we're staying in this depression! All of us have to snap out of this quick or else we'll make ourselves sick. And I'm pretty sure that Takeru wouldn't be too proud of that," the young man yelled. "Does his memory mean so little to us?" The living room grew silent, and everyone looked shamefully to the ground.

"Taichi's right."

All looked up to see Yamato speaking. The Ishida had a new light within his blue eyes. "Taichi's right," he repeated, "We can't stay in this dark mood and brood about what we didn't do or could have done. We need to keep on moving forward. Takeru would be ashamed of us if we didn't move on."

Everyone looked to each other and found a mutual agreement within each other's eyes. "Yes, Taichi is right," Mrs. Takaishi muttered with a small smile. "We all have to pull ourselves out of our sadness and mourn for Takeru with easy hearts that are ready to move on. He would have wanted all of us contently continuing our lives."

Sora looked around the small living room, her heart feeling a little disturbed. Something was misplaced, like a single piece missing from a hundred-fifty jigsaw puzzle. "Um, does anyone know where Hikari went?" she asked curiously. The Child of Love had noticed that Hikari had not said anything about the matter and had not been in sight for the past five minutes.

"Yeah, she went to Takeru's room after she came in," Yamato replied, now trying to wipe a way his tears for his brother.

Taichi frowned, again remembering who needed the most solace. "I guess Hikari has taken this harder than everyone else has," he sighed, staring at Takeru's bedroom door. With a deep breath he began to walk towards to the door to retrieve his little sister, but Sora stopped him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"No, let me do it, Taichi." He simply nodded in consent and silently watched as she walked into Takeru's room and slowly closed the door behind her.

Sora sighed in relief, glad that no one had objected to her request. She had wanted to go and help Hikari, of course, but—she had also wanted to escape everyone else. She could not stand seeing Yamato's sadness. It was heart wrenching to see him to continually shed tears for his departed brother and grieve that he was unable to help Takeru.

She closed her ginger eyes, leaned against the door, and took a deep breath. 'But why does my heart feel heavier than it should?' A vision of Taichi's stern, saddened brown eyes flashed through her mind. At that image, she gasped and placed a hand over her mouth in surprise. 'Why do I—why do I keep thinking of Taichi? I mean, he is my friend, but—why is it that I keep on seeing Taichi's sad eyes?'

Hoping to distract herself from that question, Sora looked around Takeru's room, only to discover that she was completely alone. There was no sign of Hikari at all. "TAICHI!"

Sora ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Unfortunately for the Child of Love, if she had stayed in the room for a little bit longer, she would have noticed Takeru's old computer on; the monitor was glaring a bright blue light into the dark room.

-

"Hikari, where are we going?" Tailmon asked as she loyally walked by her partner's side. Tailmon's striped tail twitched uneasily, her golden tail-ring catching the setting sunlight. The white cat continually looked around making sure no danger was near.

Hikari shrugged with no emotion. "I don't know, Tailmon… I just want to be alone right now…" The white Digimon stared at her partner nervously, and BlackTailmon watched the human girl with unease as well. The two cat-like Digimon sensed a negative atmosphere surrounding the Child of Light, and neither liked the feeling of it.

Unknown to them, a Dark fog began to surround the Digimon and Hikari. The Chosen Child took no notice of it as she walked without purpose. Her mind was only filled with a past of regret and sadness; her heart felt as if it existed no more. "I always let everyone down… I'm always weak… I'm not like my brother," she murmured hopelessly, "I'll never be like my older brother, Taichi. He has always been and will always be the strong one."

"Hikari…" The fog began to swallow the Child of Light slowly, the evil being coaxing the girl gently within its vile self. She did not fight as she sunk into its murky depths.

"Everyone has always been stronger than me… And now, because of my weakness, I killed one of my friends." The Darkness had now completely pulled Hikari within its icy depths. She drowned herself with the Darkness, her own will-power diminished. The Child of Light was drunk dangerously with sorrow and unhappiness.

"HIKARI!" Tailmon and BlackTailmon quickly followed the Chosen Child towards the miasma, unsure of what this black void was. Both Digimon refused to lose their Human friend, having already lost one of them.

"Hikari, please! Hikari, you HAVE to snap out of it!" Tailmon begged while trying to reach her. Tears poured from her icy blue eyes as she swiped at the Dark fog. The Digimon was being torn apart by this awful sight. She could not stand her partner so hurt!

"Please, Miss Hikari! Please don't give in! You have to fight it! You have to fight the Darkness!" BlackTailmon pleaded, crying and fighting alongside Tailmon. 'Miss Hikari CAN'T fall into Darkness,' she thought desperately. 'Lord Takeru would never forgive me if she did. I must save her—I have to save her!'

"I can't fight," she said while shaking her head. "I'm not strong enough to fight them—I never was. I can't fight the Darkness anymore, I just can't. Without Hope, there is nothing left to fight for. Without hope, there is nothing left to live for," she whispered weakly. There was no spirit left in her voice at all; her body rested limply, no energy within her limbs; her eyes were dull and dead.

Hikari stared at her hands bitterly. Through her eyes, she only saw her pale, ghastly hands covered in blood. Drenched in Takeru's blood, her hands screamed out her guilt and sin. "I'm sorry, Takeru, for letting you down. I'm sorry for letting you die, and I'm sorry for doing nothing to help you." She began to sob into her hands, her body shaking uncontrollably; her mind was completely falling apart.

The Darkness simply relished how easily she surrendered and continued to consume her whole.

Far out into the distance above Hikari, a small point of light broke into the endless black. An angelic voice could be heard from the far distance. "Hikari! Please, come back with me… Hikari, I'm right here…"

Tailmon and BlackTailmon looked around, wondering who the source of the voice was. They could feel life, strength, and joy coming from the sweet, beautiful voice: everything that Hikari needed at that moment. "Who can that be?"

"Hikari!" the voice called out again, "Please, come back with me! Come back to me! Come back!" A gentle breeze of warm air blew against Hikari, reviving a spark of life within the hopeless girl.

"T-Takeru?" she stammered as she raised her face from her hands. Her ruby eyes had regained something of her past self. "Takeru, is that you?"

"Hikari…"

-


	16. Bind 16: Hopeful Light

-

**Author's Note: **End of fourth arc.  
One thing I've noticed: this story has exceedingly decreased in words while I have edited it. Probably due to the removal of the extremely large author's notes I once posted on each of my chapters. Anyway, thank you so much for reading. Please tell me of your mistakes in review form.

**Love Knows No Bounds  
Bind 16: Hopeful Light**

-

'No one understands your pain.'

Far out into the never-ending distance, directly above Hikari, a small point of light broke into the Endless Darkness and its swirling mass of murkiness. Although the pinpoint of light was small and weak, its light made the Darkness visibly squirm and edge about its prey. An angelic voice could be heard echoing into the Darkness from far away, the sound barely above a whisper. "Hikari. Please, come back with me. You have to come back."

'You are lonely within this vast world.'

Tailmon and BlackTailmon, standing by Hikari's side, looked around within the black fog, wondering where the source of the reassuring voice was. The two Digimon could feel life, strength, and joy coming from the sweet, beautiful voice; they openly welcomed such good feelings, their hearts renewed and awakened with hope. "Who can that be?" they wondered curiously together.

'Listen not to the Light.'

"Hikari!" the unknown voice called out again, "Please come back with me! Come back to me, Hikari! Come back, please… I'm right here for you." The rustling of feathers seemed to reach the ears of Darkness' prisoners while feathers of Light showered all about them. A gentle gust of warm air blew against the young woman, reviving a spark of life within her.

'Do not go to the harrowing Light!'

Ignoring the voice within, she spoke out, "T-Takeru? Takeru, is that you?"

'No one will love you again.'

"Hikari—Hikari… Oh, Hikari, where do you think you're going? Why are you leaving us all behind? Why are you leaving all of your friends behind you?" the stranger's voice echoed through the Dark void. "None of us have left you."

'Never again.'

"Takeru? Takeru, is that you?" Hikari's voice could barely be heard since it was hardly over a mumble. She did not want to hope; that would be far too cruel for her shattered heart.

'The cruel Light takes everything and returns nothing.'

"Hikari." The soft, immaculate voice and the snow-white angelic feathers were floating gently across the air, warming the icy atmosphere of the Dark mist. The Darkness now began to writhe as its hold on to the human girl's frozen heart began to crumble. Light was rebuilding its bonds with the overcome Chosen Child. Realizing this, Tailmon and BlackTailmon silently began to celebrate; the two could feel Hikari returning to them.

'The Light offers you nothing!'

"Takeru." Slight, unnoticeable movement could be seen in Hikari's body; Hikari tilted her head upwards ever so slightly to gain a better view of her surroundings. Tailmon and BlackTailmon gasped in shock when they looked into Hikari's eyes; her once dazzling, enchanting ruby orbs were now lifeless, dull, and utterly empty of any emotion. "Takeru, are you there? Is it you?"

'Hope only exists to bring you sorrow.'

The invisible speaker then answered, "You know who I am, Hikari. I'm right here with you, Hikari. I'm right beside you. I've always been beside you. Please, don't turn your back on me now, Hikari." Her heart jumped at the stranger's words, the thought of Takeru's revival spurring something inside of her; but then reality harshly slapped Hikari in the face.

'Lies, those are all that the Light will tell you.'

There was no possible way for Takeru to have—with her disheartened realization she slid back into the depths of her shell. The Darkness' powers were reinforced; therefore the Dark mist gained the power to throw Tailmon and BlackTailmon, Hikari's two guides out of Darkness, out from its bowels and into the original plain of the Digital World. They landed with a thud against the ground. Before the two of them was the barrier of Darkness that they could not reenter.

'You do not need anyone else; they only subsist to beget you more grief.'

Tailmon cursed beneath her breath as she shook the dust from her white fur. "Damn, what am I going to do now? Damn the Darkness! It shouldn't be like this!" Banging her paws against the black barrier, she shouted frantically, "No, Hikari! Don't give up to the Darkness! Never give up! Don't give up Hope, Hikari. We're still with you!"

Glaring at the barrier dismally, BlackTailmon shook her floppy head with remorse. "We can't break through such a powerful barrier, Tailmon. Even if it is Darkness, it is being powered by Miss Hikari's spirit; and Miss Hikari has an extremely powerful will, so it will be impossible to breach the Darkness, lest we risk harming her. We will have to trust Miss Hikari to get out from there with her own will."

"I know," Tailmon cried, pawing at the barrier sadly, "but I can't just leave Hikari here, BlackTailmon, and I can't just sit here and do nothing either! I have to do SOMETHING to help her! I've already let down Patamon and Takeru, and I'm not ready to lose Hikari—I won't lose Hikari; I refuse to lose her too." As she cried frustrated tears for her trapped partner, a thought then lit inside the cat-like Digimon's head.

"Wait a minute… BlackTailmon, if we hurry, maybe we can get the others here in time to help Hikari realize who she is. Maybe one of the other kids will know how to get Hikari out of this mess." The cat's azure eyes then widened at realization. "Maybe her older brother will know what to do! We have to go get Taichi!"

And with that resolution, the two feline Digimon raced across the forest, and they tried to find a way to contact the Human World using the terminal from where Hikari had appeared. They were so distracted by their new idea that they did not notice a strange aura near the terminal. If Tailmon had been more aware of her surroundings, she would have spotted a shadowed figure speeding off towards the Dark barrier, where Hikari was.

-

'Hope lies to your heart.'

"Yes," Hikari murmured despondently, her heart incased within the Darkness. "Takeru is not here. It's just my mind playing tricks on me. I'm just trying to fool myself from the truth, like I did before." Her thoughts went back to the past, how she had lied to herself, how she had forced herself to hope when she had nothing to hope for.

"Takeru is dead, and there's nothing I can do to bring him back. It's because of me Takeru is dead; I killed him!" When she looked at her hands again, she saw the blood dripping from her hands. "I killed him with my own hands… Takeru is never coming back! There's nothing I can do to bring him back! He's gone!"

'Because of Hope, your wishes of destruction have become reality.'

"No. Stop lying to your self," the kind voice whispered to her. "You never killed me! And you don't have to bring me back, Hikari… All you have to do is to return to us, return to the Light."

She turned away from the sound, unable to face it. "No, don't turn away… Look at me here. Come back with me to the Light, Hikari. Don't abandon us! Hikari, please don't abandon me!" the angelic voice yelled out determinedly.

As the voice rang out and faded, she could feel the warmth from the soft, snow-white feathers and voice beginning to disappear with her belief of Takeru's life.

'See how selfish the Light is?'

"Abandon you?" Hikari quickly stood onto her weak feet, her fists clenched into tight fists; her knuckles were turning white. Within her lifeless, dull scarlet eyes burned the cold, pure passion of anger and hate. 'How can you possibly say that to me, Takeru? How can you heartlessly spout out those words to me without any regret?' she thought with spite.

'Yes, Hope abandons you for its own selfishness; disbelieve in the evil Light.'

The Dark mist multiplied in its size, its barrier growing ever larger; the fury within Hikari's heart fed the Darkness like never before.

Against the shadows, the Light began to fade and dim.

"Who abandoned who, Takeru? You left me alone in this world, without anything left! When you died, you took all of my hope with you because you were my Hope. You were MY world to me, Takeru!" She screamed in fury and slammed her fists against the side of her dark, dreary prison.

"Everything that I ever believed in, everything that I knew, I saw in you," Hikari sobbed, cold tears drizzling down her pale, chilled cheeks. "You had my dreams, my hopes—my future! And now you've left me her alone, without anything of my own! Who are you to demand me not to abandon you?"

'Hope has no love for you.'

"Why is your heart so empty, Hikari? Why are you feeling so hopeless and hateful?" A breath of warmth kissed her cheek and she felt the traces of an embrace. "Hikari, look at me. I'm right here; I've never left your side, and I never will. I'm alive right now just as much as you refuse to believe me." A gentle, warm hand then cupped the mourning girl's chin; and with that, her head lifted upwards to meet bright, shining orbs of heavenly cerulean.

'Do not allow for your eyes to be blinded by Light!'

"Takeru." She gasped for air, her breath hastily taken away at the sight of the angel before her. And once she had lost her breath, Hikari could not find it again; before her stood a magnificent and heavenly sight. Haloed in golden Light and dressed in sparkling ivory robes, Takeru smiled with a warm, supernatural glow; his already golden hair was now accented with radiance alike to sunshine; the boy's face, which had always been loving and kind, had now a celestial awe; the famous Ishida eyes were now swirling storms of infinite blue and brilliant stars. The sight of Takeru's luminous, delicate feathered-wings was the most breathtaking sight of all. Hikari could only gape at her sweetheart in wonder. "Takeru, it—it really is you. You are alive."

A sad, serene smile spread across the blonde boy's lit, compassionate face. Caressing the girl's face with the utmost tender hands, he whispered into her ear, "Yeah, it is me. I'm here with you. Just like you, I'm alive, Hikari. I'm alive as long as you wish to remember me. I'll always be alive as long as you never forget me."

"I could never forget you," she cried as more tears trickled down her face. She placed her hands against Takeru's chest to help her stand still; it was rather draining for her to keep on her feet.

Strangely, she felt rather weak and knew she could not keep her own strength. Fortunately for her, Takeru did not mind being her support; in fact, he enjoyed the contact. Who knew when he would be able to hold Hikari in his arms again?

There was a moment of silence before either of them said another word.

"But you almost did," Takeru simply replied, breaking the silence and brushing Hikari's tears away with his glowing hands. "You almost forgot me."

"I would never forget you, Takeru, never!" She sobbed into Takeru's soft, silken robes and tightly gripped them in her small hands. She feared that if she let go her distrust from before would make Takeru disappear for infinity.

Sensing her fears, Takeru lightly chuckled as he embraced Hikari with all the love in his being. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. And I know, Hikari. I know you would never intentionally forget me, never in your life; but a moment ago, you nearly did."

"How? How could I do something so horrible?" she demanded through her tears, her voice catching in her throat. Listening to Takeru about forgetting him was extremely heartrending; she felt as if she would shatter into a million pieces.

Takeru caressed Hikari's head with delicate hands, his slender fingers combing through her soft, chestnut hair. The feeling of her hair was like silk sifting through his fingers; Takaishi Takeru could not fight the urge to nuzzle his face into her sweet rose-scented hair. "When you allowed your heart to be overcome with Darkness, Hikari, you almost forgot everything that stood for Light, you almost forgot Hope," he murmured. "You nearly forgot me. You practically forgot the reason why I loved you so much."

"I'm so sorry, Takeru," she apologized once more, her tears continuing to flow from her scarlet eyes. "I don't know why or how I could have ever forgotten myself or you, but now I realize the terrible things I have done."

"Sh," Takeru hushed, soothingly rubbing her back. "Don't cry anymore, Hikari. You know I can't stand to see you cry, especially if you're crying for me—all of what has happened is now in the past; and besides, you haven't done anything more terrible than what I have done." He sighed about the past, still incredulous at his behavior. "I was the second Digimon Kaiser, remember, Hikari? I was the meaner of the two too."

Nodding in remembrance, she tried to stifle her giggling and her continuous tears. "You were mean, but you were so handsome in that outfit, Takeru."

"Ha," Takeru laughed, "okay, I'll admit, I did look dashing as the villain, but now I regret ever surrendering my heart to Darkness, even for a moment." Resting his head against hers, he kissed the top and said, "I can't have allowed you to feel the same unhappiness, Hikari. Now that you remember your true heart, we can finally get you out of this hell hole."

Her tears immediately stopped and her eyes grew wide at Takeru's language. "Takeru!" she exclaimed in utter surprise. 'Since when did Takeru say things like that? I thought he was a gentleman.'

"Heh, sorry about that, Hikari," he apologized sheepishly, a rosy pink hue descending upon his cheeks. "I sort of got carried away with myself. When you become a full-fledged being of Light, your resentment for Darkness can kind of grow." He scratched the back of his head from embarrassment. "You should have seen me when I heard what was happening to you; I tried to get to you as fast as I could."

After those words, Takeru slipped one strong arm beneath Hikari's legs and another beneath her back, holding the teenage girl to his chest. Surprisingly to the young lady, she heard the mellifluous heartening thumping of his heart. To keep from Takeru using too much of his own strength, the Yagami girl wrapped her slender arms around the neck of her angel, slightly holding herself up.

She blushed, nervous about her current position, as Takeru laughed with amusement. "You know, Hikari, I always planned on doing this on our wedding day, but I guess doing this while saving you from Darkness will just have to do now for me."

Hikari gawked at her guardian angel, her own cheeks heating slightly. "What do you mean by 'our wedding day', Takeru? Don't tell me you—Takeru, you planned out our lives all the way to our wedding day?" Heat ran down from her head to her toes before she managed to say, "Wait, how did you know we would ever get married?"

It was now Takeru's turn to blush once again. "Well, I—I actually was hoping that you and I would—well, in class I would daydream about us and, you know—I just hoped that we would be together for the rest of our lives." Turning away from Hikari, he dared not to look at her in the eye. How embarrassing, he could not help feel. "Although it doesn't seem likely now, I wish I could change that."

"Yeah, I want that now too, Takeru," Hikari whispered as she buried her face into his robes. She guessed that now she had to confess something to him. "I always dreamed about being with you, Takeru, since we first met and when we were little. I wish for us to be together for the rest of our lives with all of my heart."

Smiling, Takeru spread his great glistening wings and readied himself to fly. "Hold onto me tight, Hikari," he murmured to her firmly, "I won't take any risks losing you again."

As he began a steady rise from the depths of Darkness, the Darkness itself would not surrender its prey without a fight. A black atmosphere built a barricade against the heavenly being and his loved one of Light. Evil creatures then appeared from the sinister void, their spiny arms reaching out at Hikari. "Come back, Descendant of Darkness! Come back to your true home!"

Narrowing his dazzling cerulean eyes into an intolerable glare, Takeru growled as he harshly spat, "How dare you insinuate such an insult towards her! You call this ugly pit her home? Go back to the disgusting depths from which you came, you monsters!"

The creatures did not heed Takeru's words as they continued to grab at Hikari. When the disgusting beasts neared the pair, the ones of Darkness were instantly pushed back by the mere force of Takeru's determination to protect his charge.

"Stay—Away—From—Her!" Takeru yelled as he forcibly flew his way out of the grasps of the creatures, destroying the Darkness' barrier in the process. Wind whistled wildly in Hikari's ears, as she felt chilled. Only Takeru's protective arms gave her soothing warmth. And when the barrier was shattered, bright, blinding light surrounded Takeru and Hikari, taking the two lovers into their own world for a temporary moment.

After a few minutes of silence, Hikari still within Takeru's arms whispered to her angel, "You have to leave now, don't you, Takeru?"

A woeful look etching onto his face, the blond boy nodded ruefully. "I don't want to leave; you have to understand that, Hikari. But, I have to return to the World I now belong to. Now that I don't have a purpose to remain in this World, I can't stay—I-I wish this moment would last forever, just between you and me." With one hand he traced her cheek and brushed back her hair. "I wish this moment would last forever."

"But, you promise to be with me always, right, Takeru?" Hikari questioned as she rested her head against his chest. Closing her revived scarlet orbs, she inhaled the aroma emitting from his being; the Chosen Child of Light would always remember the image of wild flowers and sunrise to Takeru. "You promise that as long as I remember you and my love for you, you're always going to be with me in my heart?"

"Yes," Takeru answered with a choke in his voice. "As long as we remember each other and our hearts, you and I will always remain together in spirit." Embracing Hikari more earnestly, for the first time since his revelation about his love for her, Takeru began to cry. He was being torn by the emotions to hold onto Hikari and the responsibility of letting her go.

When she felt the warm trickle of tears on her forehead, Hikari looked up into the teary, stormy cerulean eyes of Takeru. The Child of Light could not hold back her gasp. "What's wrong, Takeru?" she asked as she put a hand to his cheek, outlining his jaw with her thumb.

Takeru shook his head in answer, forcing Hikari to frown at him disdainfully. "Takeru, please tell me what's wrong; I refuse for you to leave like this. I'm not letting go of you until you tell me why you're so sad."

"It just hurts me, Hikari," Takeru finally replied, the angel now trying to force back his tears. "I'm hurt to think that you're going to have to go on with your life without me. You'll grow older, not to mention prettier, and you'll get married to some great guy. After that, you'll probably have wonderful kids and live happily ever after; and I'll never have been a part of that. I'll never have had the chance to be that lucky guy who gets to spend the rest of his life with you."

SLAP!

"What are you talking about, Takeru?" Hikari demanded angrily, gripping her angel's arms forcibly. Her eyes were a furious ruby blaze glaring at his calm, cool sapphire orbs.

Shocked, Takeru placed a hand gingerly on his cheek. There had only been a few times where he had hit, had seen hit, or had been hit by anyone. Actually, Takeru had only hit bullies and Ken; Taichi and Yamato were the only ones to fight intensively in front of him; and Taichi and Ken were the only ones to have repaid Takeru for another blow. Never had he expected to be hit by Hikari. She was just too sweet of a person to do something so dynamic. "Hikari—"

"Takeru, you and I are always going to be together. No matter how I go on with my life, you are ALWAYS going to be a part of it. There will never be day where you aren't," Hikari sighed, placing her own hand over Takeru's, her cool forehead a contrast to his heated, red one.

"But Hikari—"

"No 'buts', Takeru. As long as I exist, I will ALWAYS love you, no matter what," she assured him. "You've made sure of that a while ago."

"I can't argue with that," he chuckled, a smile finally brightening his features.

Before he landed on the ground, he scanned the wild flower field for any danger. He sensed a mysterious but familiar presence, a presence Takeru had perceived many times before when he had been in the Digital World.

'Where have I felt this feeling before?' He thought while making the steady descent. 'I know this person, but I just can't name him. Who is it? The air feels chilly and dark, but it still feels warm and happy at the same time. Who could it possibly be? Who can be both Dark and Light?' Fortunately, Takeru could not pinpoint the location, and the Chosen Child figured the familiar aura would not harm Hikari in any way.

Clutching to Takeru's neck, Hikari made a slow descent to the ground, Takeru grasping her waist tightly. "Will you be all right here on your own, Hikari? You know I don't want to risk your safety; and if you feel uncomfortable, then I'll be more than happy to take you somewhere else."

Hikari nodded to his question with assurance and a warm smile. "Don't worry, Takeru. I'll be safe here; it's so close to Primary Village."

"All right, Hikari. I'll trust you," the angel sighed as he gazed at the surroundings. As fiery orange petals danced along the wind, the Chosen Child of Hope could not help but remember the past. "It's amazing, isn't it, how this one little place as so many memories? And all of those memories aren't entirely good or bad; they're both happy and sad."

"Let's just remember the happy ones," Hikari muttered as she neared her sweetheart's face. "Let's just remember our moments together." Recognizing the indication, Takeru did not argue against the girls movements.

And for the second time as a parting gesture, Takeru and Hikari kissed each other as a farewell.

Seconds ticked away before Takeru or Hikari thought of breaking the enchanting kiss. The emotion caught in between a simple gesture could not have possibly been described; together, the two Chosen Children felt as if they were alone and standing still in time, but at the same moment, time was flying past them, leaving the two in infinity. "I'll see you again one day, Hikari," Takeru, the kiss finally broken, promised as he began to fly away, alone this time. "My heart will always be with you, and I'll come back to you." He held onto her hand as he slowly ascended with the steady pumps of his wings.

"I know you will," Hikari called out, standing on her toes as she tried to keep their hands linked. As soon as their hand broke contact, Takeru's image dissolved away in a shower of stars and glitter.

When the remnants of Takeru's essence dissipated, Hikari slumped to the ground on her knees. She did not know how, but she found some way to summon more tears to her eyes. Right then, Taichi ran into the field of flaming-colored flowers; a look of worry was etched across his face. As soon as Taichi reached Hikari, he quickly picked up his sister into his arms and hugged her fiercely.

"Are you all right?" Taichi asked her gently, the older brother rocking his little sister in comfort. "You aren't hurt, are you, Hikari? When we found out that you were gone, I got so worried. Mom and Dad are having a fit right now, and Yamato and Sora are on the other side of the Digital World looking for you. What happened to you, Hikari? You—you didn't run into any Evil Digimon, did you? Did the Dark Ocean come back?" Taking a glance to the side, Taichi glared in the direction of the remnants of the Dark barrier; although Hikari did not notice it, the remaining Darkness quickly fled into the Dark Forrest beneath his dangerous glare.

"I saw Takeru, Taichi," Hikari cried, a small smile playing onto her lips. She tenderly traced a finger across her lips at the memory of Takeru and her last kiss. "I don't know if you believe me, Taichi, but I saw Takeru; he rescued me. Takeru rescued me from the Darkness."

Placing a gentle hand on top of her head, he murmured, "I know, Hikari. I saw him too."

Hikari stared in shock up at her older brother, who slightly looked grim. "You saw him too, Taichi? You actually saw Takeru?"

Taichi nodded in affirmation; his face was so serious but expressionless. It was a poker face Hikari could not even decipher. "I saw Takeru also, Hikari. Who else do you think it could have been helping you fight away all of that Dark mist? I only know one other person who's strong enough to scare away the Darkness like you and Takeru."

The young lady's face broke into a joyous smile. "Even when he's gone from our Worlds, Takeru is always here by my side to protect me. He always was there for me, and he forever will be."

"That's right, Hikari," Taichi replied quietly to her, holding his sister closer to him, "no matter where you go, Takeru will constantly be there to protect you. He's made sure that he's going to be your guardian angel from now on."

"You don't think Tailmon will mind, do you?" Hikari lightly joked. "You know, she won't mind sharing the partner-protecting job, you think?" Her elder brother chuckled at the joke as he helped his younger sibling and himself to their feet.

"No, I don't think she'll mind at all, Hikari. I actually think she might enjoy the sharing; less work for her, you know?" He chuckled while wrapping a playful arm around her shoulders. "Heck, when Tailmon started helping me take care of you, I felt so relieved because you're a handful. I bet Takeru is even thinking what the hell he's gotten himself into." Hikari punched Taichi in a playful manner, the two siblings laughing quietly at their thoughts.

And as Hikari led the way to the Digital Port, Taichi turned and looked up at the sunset sky. The vast open space was painted with brilliant blues, gentle pinks, valiant oranges, burning reds, and deep purples. The Leader of the Chosen Child smiled sadly as he whispered a silent thank you to the artistic heavens. "Takeru, thanks for protecting Hikari," he murmured for no one's ears. "I promise that one day I'll return the favor."

-

"All right, Taichi, time for some explanations. What happened in the Digital World?" Sora asked as she and Taichi stepped quietly out of Hikari's bedroom. It was the evening now, and Hikari, Taichi, Sora, and Yamato and just arrived at the Yagami residence from the nearest Digital Port, which was the campsite.

Mr. and Mrs. Yagami were currently with Mr. and Mrs. Takenouchi, Taichi's parents trying to regain their wits about nearly losing their own little baby. And once they had reached home, without much effort, Taichi had put Hikari to sleep; his little sister had absolutely worn herself out from her day's experience. Now in the hushed living room there was only Taichi, Sora, and Yamato to discuss the latest events.

"What happened today, Sora, is that Takeru proved to all of us that love knows no bounds," Taichi whispered, settling his self onto the couch. Without noticing himself, he had also tired himself from what had happened in the Digital World.

Yamato, sitting across from his friend, gaped at his large haired companion in shock. "What do you mean by that, Taichi? What do you mean by Takeru proved—"

"Takeru rescued Hikari in the Digital World today, Yamato. He rescued my little sister from the Darkness, the Dark mist," Taichi quickly answered, closing his eyes in remembrance. The thought of Darkness trying to swallow Hikari still infuriated him to the bottom of his soul.

Yamato and Sora first glanced at each other in question before they turned to stare at their friend in confusion. "What do you mean by this, Taichi?" Sora inquired cautiously; she did not want to send Yamato a false hope about his little brother. Already they had faced Takeru's death twice: no one could bear his death a third time. "Does this mean that Takeru—does it mean that Takeru is still alive?"

"No."

The short and simple answer cut coldly at Yamato and Sora. Taichi, like on the bus ride to the campsite, was acting strangely odd again. The bizarre sensation that was emitting from him made Yamato and Sora believe that some anomalous being currently possessed him. "Then what did you mean by what you said earlier, Taichi?" Yamato demanded warily.

"Takeru is not still alive, but he was allowed for a temporary moment to be here on this plane to save Hikari," Taichi explained, his eyes still closed. "He was in a tangible form, but he wasn't alive. I guess we can just say that he was serving his job as Hikari's guardian angel." Once that was said, he looked up and grinned merrily at his friends; his personality had altered once again.

Sighing happily, Yamato relaxed against the couch as he recognized Taichi's more familiar persona. The dashing blonde Ishida then joked, "Ah, so I guess Baby Bro actually got accepted to the High Above. Well, at least that's relieving to know; I should have figured that he would become Hikari's guardian angel, of course."

"Yeah," Taichi agreed, laughing a little with Yamato. "Although, I don't understand why you were ever worried about Takeru, Yamato. Of course he'd get accepted and be given the wing and halo treatment. I mean, Takeru is the obvious choice." He chuckled even further while resting his arms behind his back. "You, on the other hand Yamato, I'm a little worried about."

"And what do you mean by that, Taichi?" Yamato muttered precariously as he grabbed Taichi's shirt from across the coffee table. "You think you're going to get in to Heaven and I'm not?!"

"Let me put it this way simply for you, Yamato: HELL YES!"

"Hey! You're going to get it now, Taichi!"

And as Taichi and Yamato pushed themselves into one of their childish brawls, Sora sighed in exasperation, wondering how she ever became friends with them at all. A small sensation rushed through the orange haired girl for a fleeting moment, making Sora turn her head towards Hikari's door. She smiled as she guessed why her Crest trait had been suddenly activated.

The faint, shining outline of a winged man kneeled beside Hikari's bed while shimmering feathers of Light showered the room. A glowing hand kindly caressed the girl's cheeks as another luminous hand tucked her into bed.

"Thank you, Takeru," she murmured in her sleep, a small smile playing on her scarlet lips. In her hands hugged to her body were Takeru's digivice and her own D-Terminal which now held both the Digimental of Light and Hope.

Takeru smiled pleasantly at his dear as he lightly kissed her cheek. "Sweet dreams, Hikari. Remember," he whispered lovingly in her ear, "I'm always with you."

"I love you, Takeru."

"I love you too, Hikari," Takeru grinned as he brushed stray strands of hair away from her peaceful, slumbering face. He kissed her ear gently and then rested his forehead against hers. Only for a moment more did he dare play with her silky chestnut-colored tresses. After a few minutes, Takeru could hear his superiors calling out to him, marking the end of his brief visit. Giving Hikari's cheek another affectionate peck and then kissing her hand, he bid his farewell.

'Hope.'

"I'll come back soon, Hikari. I don't know when, but I'll come back and see you again."

'A note of love for you.'

"I know you will."

'To let you know that I care.'

After stroking Hikari's cheek one final time, Takeru stepped quietly from her bedroom and spread out his magnificent, incandescent wings for flight. He flapped his wings a few times before leaving Hikari to her dreams and happy memories, making sure a floor of snow-white feathers would greet her in the morning. And the fair angel flew into the night, his brilliant wings cascading a hopeful light to the hopeless beneath him.

'And that I think of you.'

'Each and every day.'

-


	17. Epilogue: The End?

-

**Love Knows No Bounds**

**Epilogue: The End?**

-

Hikari regretfully stared down at Primary Village, her heart still aching to some extent. She was sitting quietly on top of a small bluff above the Village, allowing her a good lookout point and a far enough distance away from the town of baby Digimon. The Chosen Child of Light could hear the other Children's happy cries as they played, especially Daisuke' loud, obnoxious shouts.

With today being a big hatching day, the Digimon had specifically asked for the Chosen Children's services. Not only could they help with the hatching, but they had the ability to garner other Digimon's support so that they could also help with the birthing and caring of the new baby Digimon to come. Of course, the Chosen Children could not refuse to help the Digital World and all of them agreed to come. That is, Taichi submitted everyone's consent except for his sister's.

He knew, like some of the others, that Primary Village held too many memories for her to bear at this point in time. She still needed some time before she could ever return to the Village without feeling pain or heartbreak. So with that, Taichi commanded Hikari to patrol outside of Primary Village and for her to do as she pleased until they were done. They would message her when everything was complete.

Hikari sighed tiredly as she relaxed against a huge rock behind her back.

"Are you all right, Hikari?" Tailmon questioned with worry, rubbing her furry head against her partner's arm. "You look beat." Ever since the Dark Mist had taken the human girl prisoner, Tailmon had been glued to her partner's side.

Turning affectionately to the feline Digimon, Hikari gave the white cate a reassuring caress. "I'm fine, Tailmon. And you're right, I'm just feeling a little tired," she answered with a gentle smile. Done exploring their small area, Salamon appeared from the brush and plopped a seat beside Tailmon and Hikari as well.

"Miss Hikari, why don't we join the others in the Primary Village?" the Digimon asked curiously as she stared down to the place where she had been born.

A soft, inaudible whisper then escaped her lips. "Takeru." Hikari, with her chin resting on her knees, gazed sadly at the Village. A light breeze blew through her delicate strands of chestnut hair. Ever since Takeru's untimely death, the young lady could not stand to ever enter Primary Village again. Although she had found her peace and had come in terms with her loved one's death, she could not yet enter the Village. It hurt her heart too much to go near the place where Takeru had been murdered while he tried protecting her.

Footsteps could be heard climbing up the rocky trail behind Hikari. As rocks tumbled down the trail and mountain, she could hear that the person was quite clumsy with their footing. She sighed deeply in annoyance, knowing that no other person except one could be as so clumsy. "Daisuke, for the last time, I am not going to Primary Village," she stated out loud. "Thank you, but no. I've explained it five times already why!"

The footsteps continued towards her. Hikari spun around, about to yell at her friend. Everyone, even the Digimon, knew that she wanted to be without the others right now. She just wanted to remember and to forget without distractions. "Daisuke, I said—" She gasped.

"I thought I'd say hi," Takeru whispered sheepishly, his face tainted with a rosy haze. He stood awkwardly at the edge of the trail, wondering if he should continue or retreat.

Tears brimmed Hikari's ruby eyes. "Takeru, how are you—I don't understand. What's going on?" She wiped away the falling tears, hoping to stop them; however, her efforts were futile. One by one, her tears fell like rain.

Seeing her cry, Takeru quickly ran to and embraced Hikari, never wanting to let her go. He nuzzled his face into her sweet smelling, soft hair and held her body close to his. The young man could not name a time when he was happier. "I don't know either, Hikari. I really don't know what's going on," he attempted to explain while resting his head against hers. "All I know, Hikari, is that I'll never let you go. I'm never letting you go, even if you belong to someone else."

"Which is impossible, silly," she managed to giggle while touching noses with him. "I'm only yours."

They both laughed as they kissed like they had during their final farewell.

-

Taichi silently watched Takeru and Hikari's reunion from afar, glad his sister was finally happy again. The danger had finally passed, and Yagami had nothing left to fear; there was nothing in this dimension to threaten him or his security. "Now, the Darkness will not harm anyone," he sighed with relief. "The others will not awaken their powers or memories, and the repetition of Time will be avoided."

Now with the Child of Hope's revival, Taichi's debt to Takeru had been repaid. In return for protecting his sister's life, he had found a way for the young man to return to their World. The Ones from high above had arranged everything, as long as Taichi had agreed to follow their terms. Naturally, he had agreed to such easy terms. Now that all was fixed and harmonized, he, Yagami Taichi, would not have to fight the one person he could never defeat, even if he had the whole universe by his side.

"What are you doing, Taichi?" Yamato asked as he walked to his friend's side. "Everyone is looking for you down in Primary Village."

"I'm admiring the horizon," he honestly replied while returning his attention towards it. "The sunset's beautiful, isn't it, Yamato? I can't help but smile at that fiery orange and red; it makes me feel happy but sad at the same time."

Yamato smiled at his friend and looked to the horizon as well. "It reminds me of Sora; she makes me think of the sunset all the time."

"Yeah," Taichi sighed, his eyes slightly narrowing with sad thoughts. 'A sunset marks an end of time, a final farewell to the time within Light… when will my time in the Light end?' He clenched his fists, frustrated that others limited him in his pleasures and happiness. 'When will I have to return to the Darkness, to the place without sunlight or a new dawn?'

Yamato immediately noticed the change in his friend's mood and asked, "What's bothering you, Taichi?"

"Nothing."

Ishida frowned and grabbed Taichi's arm, forcing the brunette to face him. Stormy cerulean glared into impassive swirls of mahogany. "Taichi, why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to yourself, to us? What are you hiding to make you willing to lock yourself away from us, from me? Does it have to do with Sora?"

Taichi chuckled woefully at the blond man's question, waving his friend's left hand off with an indifferent one. "No, this isn't about Sora, Yamato. I've realized how Sora feels; like I've said before, I'm all right with the two of you."

'I've given up my feelings for her. She wasn't the one, from the very beginning, and I knew it.' He smirked on the inside. 'It was just a silly attempt by me to change… to change fate before history repeated again.'

"Then what is wrong, Taichi?" Yamato demanded through clenched teeth. "Let me help you with whatever you're facing. You've told me once that I'm not alone, and that I don't have to deal with my problems on my own." He wanted to take a step closer to his friend but felt the distance Taichi imposed on both of them. Instead his other hand grabbed Taichi's other arm. "Now I'm telling you the same thing. You're not alone in this, Taichi."

'Let me help—if you don't want the others to help, fine. But at least let me help you!'

"There are just some problems that I have to deal on my own," Taichi replied, firmly pulling Yamato's other hand off of his arm. "And when I mean on my own, I mean without anyone else involved; having someone else involved would only complicate the situation."

'Yes,' he thought sadly. 'There's no need to further complicate the situation. If anything gets complicated further, then we all might be in danger. Right now, it's only on me.'

"Taichi—"

He turned towards Yamato and smiled; he smiled as if their conversation had never happened. "Don't worry about me, Yamato. I'll be fine, I promise." Looking down the cliff, he noticed their friends waving at them for attention. "Eh, and it looks like the others want us. We better get down."

Pushing and shoving Yamato ahead, Taichi laughed at his friend's reaction and followed him down the trail towards Primary Village. Before the horizon was out of sight, the brunette took one last glance at the setting sun and sighed.

'My sun is setting; my time in the Light is done.'

Taichi looked forward with a set, stern expression.

'But I promise not to let the Darkness take hold of me ever again.'

-

**Author's Note (28.12.2007)**: All right, after five years of working on this story, I have finally made it into something that I can be proud of. Granted, it's a little too dramatic and cheesy for my new taste now, but I'm still proud that I wrote such an epic and completed it in a satisfying manner. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this and hopefully—maybe someday—I will post the sequel to this story. Thank you, everyone, for your support: praise, criticisms, flames, etc. You've made this writing experience wonderful.

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